Section 15 (the equality provision) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms offers protection from age discrimination. Many provincial or territorial human rights acts also offer this protection. However, rights and freedoms are not absolute in Canada, even Charter rights. Rights and freedoms can be limited to protect the rights of others and are balanced against other values. This is written in the Charter itself (see section 1) which states that Charter rights are subject “to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.” As a result, discrimination on the basis of age is allowed if it is reasonable and justifiable. For example, age discrimination may be required in order to protect the person involved. Consider this: most people would agree that it is not a good idea for an 8-year-old to drive a car. The question of where to draw the line is not one that everyone always agrees on. That is why Canadian laws have different ages for different activities. Last Reviewed: November 2019