Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion took aim at Stephen Harper's Conservative government Tuesday for shunning events commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Dion also said a Liberal government would restore funding for the federal court challenges program and the law reform commission to reverse what he called Conservative attempts to weaken the charter.

The prime minister and other cabinet ministers have been conspicuously absent from charter commemoration events, Dion noted.

"I think every Canadian prime minister ought to make a point of publicly celebrating the charter," he said while speaking at a conference at the University of Ottawa marking the anniversary.

It was reported last week that Harper and several cabinet members had been invited to address the two-day conference, but declined.

Under fire from Dion during question period Tuesday, the prime minister defended his government's record on human rights.
 
"Look at some of the important things this government has done to promote rights in this country such as addressing the historical injustice of the Chinese head tax, dealing with victims of hepatitis C, with the residential schools legacy," Harper said.

Charter 'centrepiece of our democracy'

Dion called the charter a source of pride for Canadians and said the Liberals would not allow it to be undermined.

"At its core, the charter asserts that the equal treatment of every Canadian is the centrepiece of our democracy," he said.

"It transcends political boundaries and has helped create one of the most successful, multi-ethnic, multilingual federations on the face of the planet."

Dion's comments echoed those of former prime minister Jean Chrétien, who told CBC News on Monday he found it "shocking" that the federal government had no plans to commemorate the anniversary.

Chrétien helped enshrine the charter into the Constitution on April 17, 1982, as justice minister in Pierre Trudeau's government.

Harper and critics have complained in the past that judges have used the charter to undermine the powers of Parliament.

Last fall, the government cut off funding for the court challenges program and the law reform commission.

The challenges program helped pay for lawsuits seeking to expand rights. Among the beneficiaries were same-sex couples seeking tax breaks, off-reserve aboriginal people looking for voting rights in band elections, and people seeking greater language rights.

The commission was a think-tank that looked at ways to improve the law.

With files from the Canadian Press