lieutenant governor to host book launch celebrating magna carta’s 800th anniversary

www.lgontario.ca Media advisory For immediate release Lieutenant Governor to host book launch celebrating Magna Carta’s 800th anniversary Toronto, May 4, 2015. The Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, is celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta by hosting the official launch of Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada by Dr. Carolyn Harris, author and history teacher at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at 5 p.m. The book, commissioned by Magna Carta Canada and published by Dundurn Press, complements the national exhibition “Magna Carta: Law, Liberty and Legacy”, which will bring an original copy of the Magna Carta to four Canadian cities later this year. About the Magna Carta In 1215, a group of rebellious English nobles were engaged in a political battle against King John. The King was alleged to have abused his power and taken the people’s loyalty for granted. On June 15, the Magna Carta (Latin for “great charter”) was issued, establishing for the first time that nobody, including the monarch, was above the law, and recognizing that the people were entitled to basic rights. Eight hundred years later, the ideals codified in the Magna Carta have been refined and have taken hold around the world, shaping politics and law in a global context. In Canada, the document influenced the Royal Proclamation of 1763 establishing the relationship between the Crown and First Nations, Confederation in 1867, the Canadian Bill of Rights of 1960, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Magna Carta has shaped the development of the common law and continues to be cited in judicial proceedings. Quotes “The worlds of today and 800 years ago may have more differences than similarities, but the legacy of the Magna Carta endures. The signing of the Great Charter was a pivotal moment in the development of our constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The principles enunciated in this remarkable document continue to influence the relationship between State and People, not just in Canada, but throughout the Commonwealth and the wider world. I am grateful for the scholarship of Dr. Carolyn Harris, whose book tells the story of a document so critical to our history.” —The Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario “When we think of Magna Carta, we think of King John reluctantly affixing his seal to the Great Charter in Runnymede Meadow. We should also think of the Fathers of Confederation who absorbed the

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The Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, is celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta by hosting the official launch of Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada by Dr. Carolyn Harris, author and history teacher at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at 5 p.m.

TRANSCRIPT

www.lgontario.ca

Media advisory For immediate release

Lieutenant Governor to host book launch celebrating Magna Cartas 800th anniversary

Toronto, May 4, 2015. The Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, is celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta by hosting the official launch of Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada by Dr. Carolyn Harris, author and history teacher at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at 5 p.m. The book, commissioned by Magna Carta Canada and published by Dundurn Press, complements the national exhibition Magna Carta: Law, Liberty and Legacy, which will bring an original copy of the Magna Carta to four Canadian cities later this year. About the Magna Carta In 1215, a group of rebellious English nobles were engaged in a political battle against King John. The King was alleged to have abused his power and taken the peoples loyalty for granted. On June 15, the Magna Carta (Latin for great charter) was issued, establishing for the first time that nobody, including the monarch, was above the law, and recognizing that the people were entitled to basic rights. Eight hundred years later, the ideals codified in the Magna Carta have been refined and have taken hold around the world, shaping politics and law in a global context. In Canada, the document influenced the Royal Proclamation of 1763 establishing the relationship between the Crown and First Nations, Confederation in 1867, the Canadian Bill of Rights of 1960, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Magna Carta has shaped the development of the common law and continues to be cited in judicial proceedings. Quotes The worlds of today and 800 years ago may have more differences than similarities, but the legacy of the Magna Carta endures. The signing of the Great Charter was a pivotal moment in the development of our constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The principles enunciated in this remarkable document continue to influence the relationship between State and People, not just in Canada, but throughout the Commonwealth and the wider world. I am grateful for the scholarship of Dr. Carolyn Harris, whose book tells the story of a document so critical to our history.

The Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario When we think of Magna Carta, we think of King John reluctantly affixing his seal to the Great Charter in Runnymede Meadow. We should also think of the Fathers of Confederation who absorbed the
www.lgontario.ca

principles of Magna Cartafreedom from arbitrary rule, trial by peers and due processinto Canadas legal and political framework.

Dr. Carolyn Harris, author of Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada

Media opportunity Who: The Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

Dr. Carolyn Harris, author What: Book launch for Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada Where: Lieutenant Governors Suite, Queens Park, Toronto When: Tuesday, May 5, 2015, 5 p.m.

Media are asked to arrive at the west entrance of Queens Park by 4:45 p.m.

Join the conversation on Twitter with hashtag #MagnaCarta

Follow LGLizDowdeswell on Facebook and Twitter

Contact: John Gross Office of the Lieutenant Governor [email protected] 416-325-7786