Why is Our First Constitution Important?

I hear this question a lot – and I think this is an important question for all Sovereigns to grapple with.

The first thing I would tell Sovereigns your students when they ask this question, is that Confederation of the Provinces and territories never happened nor has there ever been a Constitution ratified by "We the People" in the Corporation of Canada.

As Sovereigns  of the Provinces and Territories of North America, we don’t have one single thing that binds us all together until we get a Constitution. We are not a single ethnic group, we are not a single spiritual group, and we have a very extensive history as Sovereigns .

I would also tell them that throughout history, it is the exception, rather than the rule, that Sovereigns of different ethnic and spiritual groups can live together peacefully. When we ratify our Constitution this will enshrine the principle that we the Sovereigns create the government that is accountable to We The Sovereigns to protect the rights of all Sovereigns, and has no legitimate power to deprive any Sovereign or class of Sovereigns of their rights without due process of law.  Our Liberated Nation(s), under the Constitution, has been more successful than most in allowing Sovereigns of different ethnic and spiritual groups to live together peacefully; and when we have failed, it has been because of the failures of Sovereigns to respect the equality of all under the Constitution, or the failures of public officials to respect just limits on power.

Finally, I would tell them that in a Nation as large as ours, it is literally impossible for any one Sovereign, or agency, or government to know all there is to know in order to ensure the safety, success and freedom of all the Sovereigns . Our Constitution recognizes this, and therefore guarantees the principles of Sovereign Liberty, limited government, and federalism. Federalism simply says that we trust the Sovereigns in the nations to govern themselves. Our national government must have the power to do things that states could not do on their own – like defend from foreign invasion or establish and regulate a national currency and otherwise make it easy for Sovereigns to do business with one another across our provincial lines.

The principles of individual liberty and limited government mean that there are certain areas of Sovereigns activity that belong to the Sovereigns to decide, and that government should leave alone – either because no just government will have power over those areas, or because government could not make those decisions effectively. Our Constitution and Sovereigns Rights do not allow government to control what political opinions we express – though tyrants in many nations around the world routinely imprison their political enemies. Our Constitution does not allow government to be in the business of making cars, computer software or smartphones, because it is not the place of government, and we all know they wouldn’t do it right! Innovators like Henry Ford, and Steve Jobs have benefited from being in a nation where government has not stifled their natural creativity or entrepreneurial spirit. We all benefit from being in a Nation with a dynamic economy, a rising standard of living, and the ability to share our own political, spiritual, and other beliefs with those in our communities.

These are the places I would start with Sovereigns in communicating the importance of the Constitution and our Sovereign Rights. Certainly the Constitution and its framers were not perfect, but I feel very fortunate to enjoy the freedoms we enjoy under our first Constitution. I also hope that our children come to understand that they have an important role in making sure these freedoms are passed on to their children and future generations.

What other things have you shared with your Sovereigns to help them appreciate the Constitution?