When is it just to restrict rights according to the Charter?

• A. If the restrictions are never used
• B. Whenever the government wants
• C. If the restrictions are necessary to keep Canada a free and democratic society
• D. Never

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that rights in the Charter aren’t absolute. They can be limited, but only if the limitation is necessary to keep Canada a free and democratic society. This is captured by the idea that restrictions must be reasonable and demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. In practice, that means the government must show a real objective (like safety or national security), that the restriction actually helps achieve it, and that there isn’t a less intrusive way to reach the same goal.

So restricting rights is acceptable only when it is necessary for the functioning of a free and democratic society, balancing protection of rights with public interests. The other options imagine either no limits, or limits whenever the government wants, which doesn’t align with the Charter’s justified-limits idea.