Charter of Rights applies to all Canadians

Re: Pay your taxes: It’s being Canadian — July 24

Any published guide should primarily speak to the supremacy of Canadian law for all inhabitants of the country. Examples could be given, but they should focus on areas in which persons might find conflict with their personal behaviours (such as situations respecting taxes, guns and dogmatic religious observances) all superseded by Canadian law.

The draft rewrite instead seems to be more a political statement than something that is practically useful. Though lawfully abiding by statutes pertaining to treaties may be an accurate obligation of Canadians, they are likely more happenstance than other concerning occurrences. Treaty obligations are more specifically obligations of the government not individuals, and because of this, specific mention in reference to individuals seems like a massive downloading and shifting of responsibilities that have not been honoured fully by the government itself. It is as if Canadians are indentured by citizenship and respect is not their nature or considered choice.

As to voluntary expectations, the guide might state that beyond mandatory legal obligations, respecting the spirit of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as it applies to all Canadians, is unifying and identifying. TJ (Tom) Hiller Kitchener