The Canadian Bill of Rights had existed since 1960 and provided many of the same features. However, it was less significant since it was a bill rather than a constitutional amendment like the Charter was. A bill may be deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court or simply modified or repealed by the legislative branch at will. The Charter however is entrenched in the Constitution making it harder to change and a more robust bulwark for Canadian human rights (subject to the occasional whims of good ol' S33!) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Charter_of_Rights_and_Freedoms#History David Dyzenhaus, Sophia Reibetanz Moreau, Arthur Ripstein. Law and Morality: Readings in Legal Philosophy (Toronto Studies in Philosophy), 2007.