Democratic Rights in a Technocratic Age: When Constitutions (in Law) Are Not Enough

• Author: Jane Bailey
• Pages: 487-509



DemocraticRights

inaTechnocraticAge

WHENCONSTITUTIONSINLAW

ARENOTENOUGH

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 defacto constitution of sorts,

the constitution of a sociotechnical order.

LangdonWinner

You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it.

ScoMcNealythenCEOofSunMicrosystems

A. INTRODUCTION

Inwemarktheoccasionofthethirtyfthanniversaryoftherepatri

ation of Ca nadas Constit ution and the entrenchment of the Canadi an

 FullProfessorUniversityofOawaFacultyofLawCommonLawSection

jbaileyuoawacaThankstoSafaAbdelRahmanforherexcellentresearchsup

portandtotheSocialSciencesandHumanitiesResearchCouncilforfundingThe

eQualityProjectwwwequalityprojectcaasevenyearpartnershipinitiativeof

whichtheresearchinthispaperformsapart

 LangdonWinnerTheWhaleandtheReactorASearchforLimitsinanAgeofHigh

TechnologyChicagoTheUniversityofChicagoPressat

 PollySprengerSunonPrivacyGetOverItWiredJanuaryonline

wwwwiredcomsunonprivacygetoverit

 ConstitutionActbeingScheduleBtotheCanadaActUKc

JB

Charter of Rights and Freedoms the  CharterAsearlyasthepre

decessor to CanadasConstitution t he British North America Act had

beendescribedasinadequateinthatitdidnotserveCanadiansfully

as either a mirror of ourselves or as an aspirational idealSimilarly

the CharterspredecessortheunentrenchedCanadian Bill of Rights also

cameupshortintermsofdemocraticidealsTheSpecialJointCom

mieeontheConstitutionsaw

aBillofRightswhichisentrenchedintheConstitutionservingasa

guaranteetoindividualsthatdemocracydoesnotmeanruthlessuni

formityasasymboltominoritiesthattheirreasonableautonomywill

berespectedandasasigntothewholepeopleofawholesomeration

alityinaworldoftengiventoaceaselessstruggleforpower

InafteryearsofdebatedialogueandnegotiationCanadasConsti

tutionwasnallyrepatriatedalthoughtheprovinceofQuebecwhich

hasitsownstatutoryCharter of Human Rights and Freedomsdeclined

tosignonIncorporatedinCanadasConstitutionisabodyofrights

andfreedomsentrenchingguaranteesrelatingtoexpressionmobility

lifelibertyandsecurityofthepersonsearchandseizureequalityand

manyothersAttherepatriationceremonythenPrimeMinisterPierre

Trudeaudescribedtheprocessasacomingofagestory

FormorethanhalfacenturyCanadianshaveresembledyoungadults

wholeavehometobuildalifeoftheirownbutarenotquitecondent

enoughtotakealongalltheirbelongings

Afterftyyearsofdiscussionwehavenallydecidedtoretrieve

whatisproperlyoursItismydeepesthopethatCanadawillmatch

itsnewlegalmaturitywiththatdegreeofpoliticalmaturitythatwill

allowustomakeatotalcommitmenttotheCanadianideal

 Cana dian Charter of Rights and FreedomsPartIoftheConstitutionActbeing

ScheduleBtotheCanadaActUKc

 TheConstitutionActUKVictcreprintedinRSCAppendix

IINo

 SenateHouseofCommonsSp ecialJointCommieeoft heSenateandHouseof

CommonsontheConstitutionofCanadaFi nal ReportJointChairsSenatorGildas

LMolgatMarkMacGuiganOawaInformationCanadaat

 Canadian Bill of RightsSCc

 Final Repo rtabovenoteat

 QuebecCharter of Human Rights and Freedo msCQLRcC

 RecentnewscoveragehoweversuggeststhattheConstitutioncouldbereopened

inordertoaddressQuebecsconcernsAmyMinskyAfterYearsWhyDoes

QuebecWantintheConstitutionGlobal News Juneonlinehpsglobal

newscanewsquebeccanadaconstitutionamendreopen