New website aims to take the Charter of Rights to more Canadians than ever before

In 2003 Toronto-based Sailor-Jones Media started developing Fundamental Freedoms, a documentary in seven languages covering the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, for Rogers Media Inc.’s Omni Television. The venture soon morphed into a multimedia, multiplatform project, which includes the recently launched CharterofRights.ca, an interactive website devoted entirely to what many consider the most important document in Canadian history. "It was very clear that you can’t the Charter in 48 minutes of television," Barbara Jones, SailorJones’ president, CEO and executive producer tells Canadian NEW MEDIA. "So we sort of had to step back and say: ‘What is the best way to bring this document to as many people as possible?’ And that’s via online." What is now known as the Fundamental Freedoms project also includes the documentary and a DVD-ROM, but the website may prove to be the greatest tool for dispersing the significance of the Charter since the document’s inception in 1982. CharterofRights.ca offers six main sections to navigate: Inside the Charter; Virtual Charter; History; Impact; Your Rights; and Teachers. While the Inside the Charter navigation is perhaps the most important – it offers a "what it says" and "what it means" description for each section of the Charter of Rights – the Virtual Charter gives a glimpse at what the site will eventually encompass: versions of the Charter of Rights in 23 different languages that can be zoomed in on, scrolled, and generally interacted with. Jones says the goal of the site was to "make as accessible as possible, explain it in plain language and become a resource for all Canadians. And if you apply that thinking, it needs to be in as many languages as possible." Currently, the website is fully available in English and French, and SailorJones hopes to have it up and running in Cantonese, German, Spanish, Italian, Inuktitut, Cree, Polish, Portuguese and Punjabi by next April, in time for the 25th anniversary of the Charter. "We’re optimistic that sponsorship, advertising and funding will ensure we’re able to launch 11 languages by next spring," says Jones. "I have timelines all ready to go, it’s just a matter of when the dollars come in." While Jones can finally look to the future of the project, it’s interesting to note its past. Surprisingly, the federal government has had no creative input in the production of CharterofRights.ca to date, unless you count the fact that Canadian Heritage gave SailorJones permission to use images of the Charter. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that the CharterofRights.ca domain was not in use when SailorJones started work on the site. The project began in 2003, and Jones spent years unsuccessfully applying for funding support before finally receiving market research and development financing from Telefilm Canada’s Canada New Media Fund last June, as well as money to go into production of the French and English sites from the Ontario Media Development Corp.’s Interactive Digital Media Fund in December. With the first languages of the documentary, DVD-ROM and website all complete, Jones is confident that financing will now be easier to come by. She says: "It’s been challenging because I’ve been telling the story for three years and now we have something to show. It’s been hard having the vision without being able to say ‘here’s what it looks and smells and tastes like.’" The result of that vision is what Jones feels is the most extensive website covering the Charter. On top of the written content, the site features narrated audio snippets as well as video clips of Canadian lawyers giving their thoughts and interpretations of the Charter that were recorded in excess during filming of the documentary. These interactive portions take the website beyond a traditional text by giving users alternative analyses of what the Charter stands for. For example, in one clip Alan Borovoy of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association says: "Everything we believe in at some point collides with something else we believe in. And the job we have is constantly to be balancing competing values and weighing competing risks….So if we’re looking at anti-terror legislation, the question at any point is whether the freedoms…this legislation…would curtail are necessary in order to give society the protection that it wants and needs from the phenomenon of terrorism." Regardless of whether users support the interpretations of the law expressed in the website, they are nonetheless thought-provoking and should enhance its appeal as an educational instrument. Of course this is not by coincidence: SailorJones worked closely with Canada’s National History Society (CNHS), producer of the Governor General’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History, to develop the teachers section of the website. SailorJones has also done curriculum co-relations across Canada to find out when classes will be learning about the Charter so the site and DVD-ROM can be used in the classroom. "We see it as a really valuable tool," says Deborah Morrison, CEO of CNHS. "There’s nothing quite like this to help bring this document to life for Canadians so they have a much deeper appreciation and understanding of why it’s so important." Jones hopes the Canadian government feels the same way. With the 25th anniversary of the Charter less than a year away, SailorJones is looking to be a partner in any initiative the government is planning for the celebration, including a contest across Canada allowing students to submit stills and video based on the Charter. Winning entries being posted on the CharterofRights.ca site. This is all part of the evolution of the website toward more user-defined content, but the next step is to offer the site in more languages. With translation costs potentially accounting for a large chunk of the project’s budget, Jones is optimistic the various language communities will see the benefit of cooperating on translation efforts, much the same way they did in helping to translate the Charter itself. "If we can tap in to that passion, then there’s no reason why we can’t do more than 11 languages," says Jones. Jones expects high traffic on CharterofRights.ca with spikes during the school year, particularly with the 25th anniversary on the horizon. But with the Charter making it in the news so often it should serve as an every day resource for Canadians, Jones says. For instance, the site could have proved useful if it was up a few weeks earlier to capture potential traffic following the arrest of 12 terrorist suspects in Toronto. Looking ahead, Jones hopes the website will grow through user participation and play a role in the official celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the Charter. "We’ve built the database to be…I wouldn’t say infinite, but certainly scalable," she says. In a video clip currently on the site, the Hon. Robert J. Sharpe, a justice on the Supreme Court of Ontario, gives an interpretation of the Charter that could also apply to its new online home. He says: "What we want is a document that can live and breathe and grow as Canadian society grows and changes."

New website aims to take the Charter of Rights to more Canadians than ever before

Broadcast | June 26, 2006

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