The Magna Carta, the document that set the groundwork for democracy, justice, and human rights, will come to Canada this year to mark its 800th anniversary, the government has announced.
The document and its companion, the Charter of the Forest, will be exhibited at the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa on June 11, before going on to Winnipeg, Toronto, and Edmonton.
Created in 1215, the Magna Carta, or Great Charter, was the first document in English jurisprudence to state that the monarch was not above the law. Written in Latin, it became the basis for freedom, democracy, and rule of law in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, including Canada.
“When the Fathers of Confederation came together at the Québec Conference in 1864, they were unanimous the new country should remain a constitutional monarchy based on the concepts expressed in the Magna Carta: freedom, democracy and the rule of law should be the birthright of every citizen,” Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, said in a statement.
