Blog

TORONTO – The Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) is pleased to announce the launch of its new free, online course pack: Constitutional Rights, Civic Responsibilities, available now at TheCCF.ca/learn.

The course pack provides secondary school teachers with almost everything they need to fulfill the requirements of Ontario’s Grade 10 civics course (CHV20), parts of Alberta’s Grade 9 Social Studies course, British Columbia’s Grade 10 Social Studies course, and more.

Each of the course pack’s 24 lessons includes a full set of slides and either an original video explaining topics like “the chilling effect” and “Aboriginal title,” or a short reading. The lessons span important topics like freedom of expression, the mechanics of parliamentary government, the division of powers, property rights, and the role of political parties.

Joanna Baron, the CCF’s Executive Director, said the goal of the course pack is to offer high school civics and social studies teachers engaging materials that offer a balanced perspective on Canada’s parliamentary institutions and Canadians’ constitutional rights.

“If young Canadians don’t know their rights, they won’t know when those rights are being taken away,” Baron said. “We need to address this critical gap before a whole generation forgets what it means to live in a free and democratic country.”

Josh Dehaas, CCF Counsel, said that he hopes the course pack will inspire the next generation of Canadians to understand their rights, freedoms and civic responsibilities.

“Too many teenagers I know are being taught that Canada is inherently racist, that ever-increasing limits on their freedoms are necessary for ‘the greater good,’ and that they have no right to free speech,” he added. “I’m hoping this course will help students to see the truth.”

The new resource for teachers follows the summer release of the CCF’s free, downloadable Guide to Protest in Canada, which aims to educate Canadians about when, where, and how they can protest without breaking laws or violating other people’s rights.