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Canadian Museum for Human RightsCanadian Museum for Human Rights
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August 2019 to May 2024

A visitor's hands hold a tablet that carries an image of four animated people including a little boy, a young Indigenous woman, a man wearing an apron and a woman judge. Partially obscured.

Photo: CMHR, Aaron Cohen

Experience an amazing milestone in Canada’s human rights story by entering the immersive world of augmented reality!

A groundbreaking day for rights protections

Proclamation 1982 is an augmented reality (AR) experience that takes you on a journey to a historic moment on April 17, 1982. This was the day Queen Elizabeth II signed the Proclamation of the Constitution Act, 1982, which established Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms as part of the country’s new Constitution. Before then, Canadian courts faced many challenges in protecting people’s rights. Once the Proclamation was signed, every person in Canada received stronger guarantees for their human rights.

Former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau sits to the left of Queen Elizabeth II at a wooden table. Two men lean over her right shoulder as she signs a document.

Queen Elizabeth II signing the Proclamation of the Constitution Act, 1982. Former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau (left) called this “a day of historic achievement.”

Photo: The Canadian Press, Ron Poling

Claiming rights before and after the Proclamation

Explore the app and find out why protections for human rights in Canada were so different before and after the 1982 Proclamation. You’ll interact with people who sought to claim their human rights at different times in history. They have stories about seeking religious freedom, demanding equality before the law and testing the Charter’s protections. Share in their successes and learn from their setbacks. Discover how you can claim your own rights today!

An official document contains the words “Elizabeth the Second” and further down, “A Proclamation.” The text in English and French proclaims a new Constitution for Canada.

The Proclamation of the Constitution Act, 1982. This is one of only two existing copies of the Proclamation.

Photo: Library and Archives Canada, e008125379

Visit in person or download the app to explore the 1982 Proclamation!

You can see and interact with the 1982 Proclamation using augmented reality (AR) on tablets provided in the Protecting Rights in Canada gallery. Or you can download the free Proclamation 1982 app for iOS to experience it today. You can also listen to the described videos of the stories on our website.

Developed in partnership with Library and Archives Canada.

Library and Archives Canada