Democratic Rights in a Technocratic Age: When Constitutions (in Law) Are Not Enough
Author | Jane Bailey |
Pages | 487-509 |
DemocraticRights
inaTechnocraticAge
WHENCONSTITUTIONSINLAW
ARENOTENOUGH
Jane Bailey*
Today we can examine the interconnected systems of manufacturing,
communications, transportation and the like that have arisen during the past
two centuries and appreciate how they form a defacto constitution of sorts,
the constitution of a sociotechnical order.
LangdonWinner
You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it.
ScoMcNealythenCEOofSunMicrosystems
A. INTRODUCTION
Inwemarktheoccasionofthethirtyfthanniversaryoftherepatri
ation of Ca nadas Constit ution and the entrenchment of the Canadi an
FullProfessorUniversityofOawaFacultyofLawCommonLawSection
jbaileyuoawacaThankstoSafaAbdelRahmanforherexcellentresearchsup
portandtotheSocialSciencesandHumanitiesResearchCouncilforfundingThe
eQualityProjectwwwequalityprojectcaasevenyearpartnershipinitiativeof
whichtheresearchinthispaperformsapart
LangdonWinnerTheWhaleandtheReactorASearchforLimitsinanAgeofHigh
TechnologyChicagoTheUniversityofChicagoPressat
PollySprengerSunonPrivacyGetOverItWiredJanuaryonline
wwwwiredcomsunonprivacygetoverit
ConstitutionActbeingScheduleBtotheCanadaActUKc
JB
Charter of Rights and Freedoms the CharterAsearlyasthepre
decessor to CanadasConstitution t he British North America Act had
beendescribedasinadequateinthatitdidnotserveCanadiansfully
as either a mirror of ourselves or as an aspirational idealSimilarly
the CharterspredecessortheunentrenchedCanadian Bill of Rights also
cameupshortintermsofdemocraticidealsTheSpecialJointCom
mieeontheConstitutionsaw
aBillofRightswhichisentrenchedintheConstitutionservingasa
guaranteetoindividualsthatdemocracydoesnotmeanruthlessuni
formityasasymboltominoritiesthattheirreasonableautonomywill
berespectedandasasigntothewholepeopleofawholesomeration
alityinaworldoftengiventoaceaselessstruggleforpower
InafteryearsofdebatedialogueandnegotiationCanadasConsti
tutionwasnallyrepatriatedalthoughtheprovinceofQuebecwhich
hasitsownstatutoryCharter of Human Rights and Freedomsdeclined
tosignonIncorporatedinCanadasConstitutionisabodyofrights
andfreedomsentrenchingguaranteesrelatingtoexpressionmobility
lifelibertyandsecurityofthepersonsearchandseizureequalityand
manyothersAttherepatriationceremonythenPrimeMinisterPierre
Trudeaudescribedtheprocessasacomingofagestory
FormorethanhalfacenturyCanadianshaveresembledyoungadults
wholeavehometobuildalifeoftheirownbutarenotquitecondent
enoughtotakealongalltheirbelongings
Afterftyyearsofdiscussionwehavenallydecidedtoretrieve
whatisproperlyoursItismydeepesthopethatCanadawillmatch
itsnewlegalmaturitywiththatdegreeofpoliticalmaturitythatwill
allowustomakeatotalcommitmenttotheCanadianideal
Cana dian Charter of Rights and FreedomsPartIoftheConstitutionActbeing
ScheduleBtotheCanadaActUKc
TheConstitutionActUKVictcreprintedinRSCAppendix
IINo
SenateHouseofCommonsSp ecialJointCommieeoft heSenateandHouseof
CommonsontheConstitutionofCanadaFi nal ReportJointChairsSenatorGildas
LMolgatMarkMacGuiganOawaInformationCanadaat
Canadian Bill of RightsSCc
Final Repo rtabovenoteat
QuebecCharter of Human Rights and Freedo msCQLRcC
RecentnewscoveragehoweversuggeststhattheConstitutioncouldbereopened
inordertoaddressQuebecsconcernsAmyMinskyAfterYearsWhyDoes
QuebecWantintheConstitutionGlobal News Juneonlinehpsglobal
newscanewsquebeccanadaconstitutionamendreopen
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