In November of last year, businessmen Karl Harrison and Shaun Rickard filed their second lawsuit naming both the Minister of Transportation and Attorney General of Canada (AG) as defendants.

Their first lawsuit, filed jointly with People’s Party of Canada (PPC) Leader, Maxime Bernier and former Premier of Newfoundland and signatory of our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Brian Peckford. The intent of that case is to have a court rule on the constitutionality of the federal government’s travel mandate imposed throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

The case went to the Federal Court of Appeal where the appellate justices upheld the decision of the lower court, ruling their case as ‘moot’ due to the mandate being repealed.

Both Mr. Bernier and Mr. Peckford have pushed forward, appealing to the Supreme Court of Canada. Meanwhile, Mr. Harrison and Mr. Rickard have set their sights on a new lawsuit seeking damages for hardships suffered due to the infringements to their charter rights; they are each seeking $1 million in damages.

The AG indicated an intent to file a motion to have the new lawsuit dismissed, stating that the mandate did not violate the rights protected under section 7 or section 15 of the Charter. For reference, section 7 speaks to the right to “life, liberty and security of the person” while section 15 addresses protection from discrimination based on criteria such as race or sex.

Government lawyers are allowing the plaintiffs to amend their statement of claim to disclose their citizenship; a requirement to demonstrate the applicability of their claims of violation of section 6 of the Charter, pertaining to our mobility rights as citizens of Canada.

We must continue to establish the strength and fundamental nature of our Charter, as intended; to protect the basic rights of all Canadians, essential to preserving the free and democratic nature of our country. Given the current environment in Canada, our Charter is the most important legal document we have as individuals, and we are waiting for the Justices of our nation to acknowledge its value and rightful, fundamental, position within our judiciary.

To read the Epoch Times article written by Noé Chartier, click here