Conservative Scholar Helped Shape Stephen Harper’s Worldview

Walter BernsWalter Berns, an American constitutional scholar, who once taught in Canada and helped shape a band of conservative disciples in Alberta — including Stephen Harper — has died at age 95. Berns died Jan. 10 at his home in Bethesda, Maryland.

One of Berns’ most lasting legacies may have been to foment Harper’s disdain for the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

When Harper turned his back on the charter’s 25th and 30th anniversaries he was following in Berns’ footsteps. Berns refused to accept the validity of any political rights not contained in the nation’s founding documents.

Photo credit: walterberns.org

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