Government & Statute Law ► Does the law apply to all people in all situations? ► Would there be any exception, and if so, what would they be? ► How would this law be enforced?

► Whether it be a municipal bylaw banning skateboarding, a provincial law enforcing a zero-tolerance policy toward violence in schools, or a federal law dealing with divorce proceedings, making laws is a difficult task. Legal challenges need to be met as well as the approval of most citizens. They must be enforceable while trying to balance competing interests. A law enforcing non-smoking in restaurants may be seen as discriminating against smokers yet imperative to those who have asthma or allergies.

Powers of the law & roles played in making Canada’s laws ► Canada’s Constitution  At the Charlottetown Conference in Charlottetown, PEI, discussions began that would ultimately result in a new Dominion of Canada and a Constitution – a system of laws and rules to govern the new country.  After 1763, British North America was subject to English law governed by Great Britain. Many living in the Atlantic provinces were content to stay under this system of rules and laws. However, men like John A. MacDonald, George Brown and George-Etienne Cartier looked to the idea of being a more independent country with control over its political and economic systems.

 In 1864, a group of 36 men met in PEI and Quebec to discuss unification. When the proposal was taken to Great Britain for approval there was little debate that would give a change in political structure to the colonies. The British North America Act (BNA Act) was passed by the British Parliament in 1867 and became law on July 1 of that year. That Act established Canada as a country and John A. MacDonald became the first Prime Minister.

Did you know? ► Not everyone agreed with Confederation. Headlines in a Nova Scotia newspaper on July 1, 1867, read “DIED! Last night at twelve o’clock, the free and enlightened Province of Nova Scotia.” Flags in the province were flown at half-mast.

British North America Act, 1867 ► The BNA Act still forms a major part of Canada’s Constitution. In 1867, the Act set out the rules for how Canada should be governed and what kind of country it would be. Canada, still being under the influence of Great Britain, could not make its own laws independently until years later. However, on March 29, 1867, the BNA Act recognized that Canada was a separate political entity within the British Empire, and it paved the way for the Canada we live in today.