It’s lionized by politicians but, in the real world, Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms has proved less a symbol of democratic liberty than an agent of destruction. Since becoming constitutional law, the Charter has run roughshod over Canadian democracy, weaponized in the courts to overturn popular and vital policies. In 1982, there were plenty of people on the left and the right who tried to warn us of the coming devastation before it happened. It ended up being worse than they imagined.