In which year was Magna Carta signed in England?

Canadian citizens hold both rights and responsibilities. They grew out of the country's history. Canadian law protects them, and they reflect the traditions, identity and values that Canadians share. Canadian law does not come from one single place. Parliament passes laws, and so do the provincial legislatures. English common law is another source. The civil code of France is a source too. Canada also inherited an unwritten constitution from Great Britain. All of these sources work together to secure the freedoms Canadians have today.

The freedoms Canadians enjoy are not new. Together they form a tradition of ordered liberty that reaches back about 800 years. That tradition began with Magna Carta, signed in England in 1215. Magna Carta carries a second name: the Great Charter of Freedoms. Canada did not invent these ideas. They travelled down through history and through English law, and Canadian law protects them now. Because of this long line, people in Canada can believe, speak, meet and organize freely inside a system of order and law.