God and the Constitution: the Significance of the Supremacy of God in the Preamble of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Despite being a unique part of the Canadian Constitution, the reference to the supremacy of God in the preamble of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has received relatively little scholarly attention. This study will demonstrate that the supremacy of God reveals something significant about the Canadian Constitution, the theory of rights, Canadian nationalism and the theory of the state.;A review the supremacy of God's historical origins will draw links to the foundation of rights and nationalism. A legal analysis will reveal that it represents the source of rights and nationhood without religious exclusivity. Engagement with rights discourse will demonstrate that the supremacy of God corresponds to the idea that universal rights require a foundation that transcends human affairs. Finally, the supremacy of God will be shown to serve as the transcendent principle that underlies both the symbolism of civic nationalism and the theory of the state.