UPDATED - Happy #CharterDay, everyone! (Just don't suggest amending it to mark the occasion!)

Today marks the 30th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Constitution Act of 1982, which was formally signed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on April 17, 1982, in the presence of tens of thousands of Canadians on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

This anniversary marks an important step in the development of Canada's human rights policy. Building on Diefenbaker's Canadian Bill of Rights of 1960, the Constitution Act of 1982 enshrined certain rights and freedoms that had historically been at the heart of Canadian society into a constitutional document known as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Constitution Act of 1982 empowered our government to amend every part of Canada's constitution, for the very first time.

As we look ahead to Canada's 150th Anniversary in 2017, we encourage all Canadians to commemorate the milestones that have built our nation and made us the great country we are today.

On the steps of Parliament Hill, 30 years ago today, Pierre Elliott Trudeau's Liberal government signed the historic Canada Act, 1982, patriating our Constitution and making the Charter of Rights and Freedoms the supreme law of the land.

The Charter enshrines our most cherished Canadian values. It reflects our belief that Canadians have a fundamental right to live free from discrimination, to assemble peacefully and express our opinions, to vote in elections unimpeded, to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and fundamentally, that our individual rights take precedence over the rights of government.

Abroad, the Charter is the constitutional document most emulated by other countries, standing as a model for new democracies who share our goals and values, and as a resource to draw from for others. Here at home, the Charter continues to evolve, with court decisions and legal reforms by Parliament and provincial legislatures opening the door to same-sex rights, minority language rights and abortion rights, and shutting the door on capital punishment, torture and gender-based discrimination.

On a personal note, I was honoured to be able to speak in favour of the Charter in the House of Commons debates many years ago, and to vote for the patriation of the constitution with the Charter.

Thirty years later, the impact of the Charter on Canadian society has been significant and lasting. The Charter does not belong to one political party or one group, it belongs to all Canadians. As my colleague Liberal Justice and Human Rights critic Irwin Cotler wrote recently in the Toronto Star, 'The Charter merits both recognition and respect from the government, reflective of the reverence it is accorded by both Parliament and the judiciary.'

Tonight, Liberals will celebrate this defining moment in our country's history at a rally with former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien who, as a young Attorney General, participated in that iconic signing ceremony 30 years ago today. Together, we will salute the vision of Prime Minister Trudeau, and stand with Canadians from coast to coast to coast, in commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Charter, which continues to shape our individual and collective identities.

It has been three decades since Canada chose to codify and protect our fundamental rights as citizens in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Today the Charter stands as an example the world over. It reminds us that respect for basic human rights is a vital part of every modern society, and that any threat to these rights constitutes a threat to society as a whole.

New Democrats are proud of the role we played in shaping the Charter of Rights and Freedoms--including Tommy Douglas' passage of Canada's first Bill of Rights in Saskatchewan and the role Ed Broadbent played in ensuring that women's rights were enshrined in the Charter itself.

At the same time, the anniversary of the Charter also serves to remind us that, 30 years after the repatriation of the Constitution, Quebec is still not a signatory to the most fundamental compact of our democracy.

As such, New Democrats will continue on the path laid out by Jack Layton, working to create the conditions that will one day allow Quebec to embrace the Canadian constitutional framework. We will work tirelessly to give real meaning to the unanimous recognition that the Québécois form a nation within Canada.

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a document that reflects our most fundamental common values. New Democrats will continue to work to ensure that one day it becomes part of a Constitution that includes us all.