For the first time since it was adopted in 2006, the Montreal Charter of Rights and Responsibilities has been revised through public consultation in accordance with a provision of the Charter which provides for periodic evaluation to make improvements. In this revision, new city commitments have been added, particularly in the area of democracy, environment and sustainable development.
Started in 2010, the citizen´s review process ended with the unanimous adoption of amendments to the Montreal Charter by the council in autumn 2011. The process began with a proposal for amendments jointly prepared by the City of Montreal and the Task Force on Democracy, a working group under the responsibility of the mayor and composed predominantly of citizens. This proposal was subsequently subjected to public consultation for citizens to make comments and suggestions. After the consultation, the proposal was amended and supplemented before being adopted by the City Council.
As its name suggests, the Montreal Charter of Rights and Responsibilities sets out a series of rights and responsibilities of citizens in the city and is founded on the following values at the base of human rights: respect for human dignity, tolerance, peace, inclusion, equality, justice and equity.
Inspired by the European Charter for the Safeguarding of Human Rights in the City, the idea of a Montreal Charter arose from a proposal made by civil society at the Montreal Summit in 2002, a major participation process to establish priority projects in Montreal. After being written by citizens and a group of experts, the Montreal Charter underwent public consultation in 2004 to finally be adopted by the City Council of Montreal. Designed by and for citizens, the Montreal Charter is a fundamental contribution to social inclusion and the right to the city.