The following section is a portal to the entire collection of the primary documents available on this site. Most of these documents are saved as PDF files (download Adobe Acrobat Reader). New primary documents are regularly added to this site. Visitors are encouraged to collaborate on this project by submitting any material to the webmaster that would be relevant to this site.
Igor Gouzenko and the espionage commission, 1945-1949
Documents relating to the defection of Igor Gouzenko, the RCMP's investigation, the espionage commission, the spy trials and the public's response to the defection. Click here.
Special Joint Committee on the Constitution, 1980-1
The Special Joint Committee was mandated to solicit feedback from Canadians about the government's proposal to patriate the constitution and entrench a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The committee heard from over 900 individuals and organizations, many of whom had a direct impact on the final drafting of the constitutional proposal. This section is a collection of briefs presented to the committee. Click here.
October Crisis (1970)
Documents relating to the federal government's use of the War Measures Act in response to the activities of the Front de libération du Québec in October 1970. This section includes newspaper articles, government documents and materials relating to the response from human rights activists. In addition, there are links to documents posted external to this site. Click here.
Rights Associations
Documents relating to human rights and civil liberties groups in Canada that were active from the 1930s to the 1980s. Click here.
Rights Statutes and Declarations
Major federal and provincial Canadian human rights statutes and international declarations. Click here.
Jewish Labour Committee
A collection of anti-discrimination posters produced by the Jewish Labour Committee in Canada and the United States. Click here.
Legal Cases
An archive of landmark court cases in Canada's human right's history. Click here.
External Resources
Links to other websites were you can find primary sources for historical research on Canada. Click here.
The Montreal Star published a collection of photographs in 1970 on the FLQ's activities over the previous decade. It is the best collection of original photographs available on the FLQ.
