Which major constitutional change occurred in 1982?

• A. The Meech Lake Accord
• B. The Canada Act
• C. The patriation of the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the Constitution Act, 1982
• D. The enactment of the Canada Act 1982

Answer: (C)

In 1982, Canada brought its constitution home and added a charter of rights into it. This move, known as patriation, transferred the power to amend and govern the highest law from Britain to Canada, establishing a Canadian-based process for constitutional changes. Along with patriation, the Constitution Act, 1982 enshrined the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms and sets out how they are protected and applied. This combination—ending Britain's direct role in amending the Canadian constitution and placing a formal rights charter at the heart of the constitution—represents the major constitutional shift of 1982.

Meech Lake was an later, incomplete 1980s attempt to modify the system; the Canada Act 1982 refers to the British statute that enabled patriation but is not by itself the full change, since the charter and the specific Canadian amending formulas are part of the same milestone.