When was the Magna Carta signed in England?

The Magna Carta, also known as the Great Charter of Freedoms, was signed in 1215 in England. According to the official Discover Canada study guide, this single historical event marks the beginning of an 800-year-old tradition of ordered liberty that Canadians inherit today. The guide explicitly groups the Magna Carta among the foundations that secure for Canadians their basic rights and freedoms, placing it alongside English common law and the unwritten constitution inherited from Great Britain.

The Discover Canada guide presents the Magna Carta as the historical anchor of the freedoms Canadians now enjoy. It is listed in the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship chapter, immediately following the statement that Canada recognizes the supremacy of God and the rule of law. The text directly links the signing of the charter in 1215 in England to the enduring principle that no person or group is above the law, a founding idea of Canadian society.

From this 1215 origin, the tradition of ordered liberty travelled across centuries and oceans into Canadian institutions. Canada's legal system today draws on multiple sources named in the guide: laws passed by Parliament and the provincial legislatures, English common law, the civil code of France, and the unwritten constitution inherited from Great Britain. The Magna Carta sits at the head of that English stream, and its principle of restraining arbitrary power flows directly into the modern Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, entrenched when the Constitution of Canada was amended in 1982.

Understanding 1215 matters because the Discover Canada guide treats the Magna Carta as the starting point of the freedoms Canadians live under today. The guide explicitly counts an 800-year-old tradition of ordered liberty that flows from this charter into Canadian rights, including freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of association, and habeas corpus — the right to challenge unlawful detention by the state, which comes from English common law. The same tradition supports the Canadian principle that individuals and governments alike are regulated by laws and not by arbitrary actions, and that no person or group is above the law. Knowing the date 1215 connects you directly to the rule of law, the Charter of 1982, and the broader heritage Canada inherited from Great Britain.