About us

Constitution 150 is a year-long collaborative partnership of the Public Law Group at the University of Ottawa, the Centre for Constitutional Studies, the University of Alberta, and the Université de Montréal.

It is a multi-pronged project that will involve youth, Indigenous communities, ethno-cultural communities, scholars, policy makers and the general public.  Constitution 150 aims to:

• increase the public’s awareness of the history, workings, and future possibilities of Canada’s Constitution;
• spark pride and attachment among Canada’s youth for the Canadian Constitution and constitutional values;
• deepen scholarly understandings of Canadian constitutionalism;
• create opportunities for dialogue between different communities of Canadians, institutions, regions, and perspectives on Canada’s Constitution; and
• foster creative thinking about the possibilities of constitutional change, renewal, and reconciliation.

Constitution 150 will provide opportunities for Canadians of different ages, backgrounds and locations to connect to each other through active online collaboration and discussion about our Constitution.   In particular, we want to

• allow members of the public to pose constitutional questions to Canada’s leading constitutional experts;
• host citizens’ forums, essay and film contests that will foster dialogue and debate and connect Canadians from different ethno-cultural backgrounds and linguistic communities across the country;
• crowdsource a Citizen’s Constitution focusing on the values Canadians would like reflected in their Constitution;
• provide accessible information about the Constitution: what it looks like, what specific sections mean, and what its relevance is to Canadians.

Finally, Constitution 150 will host three inter-connected but distinct conferences in three cities across Canada in 2017: Confederation, Patriation, and Reconciliation. Our conferences will bring together scholars and community members from across the country to debate constitutional themes and produce new scholarship that affects the lives of Canadians.

We invite you to join with us in celebrating our nation’s proud history and its Constitution.

This content has been updated on 24 January 2017 at 12 h 36 min.