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When the Charter was a child and Marie Henein was 21, the country was debating abortion, prostitution and gay marriage.

“Back then, the fights were cleaner,” Henein said in a speech Wednesday. “No one’s values systems or beliefs were under attack … but what happened to that? That fundamental democratic dialogue, the inherent decency of it, the inherent politeness of Canadian dialogue. Well overnight, it seemed to disappear as people become more strident.”

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As the lawyer who defended Jian Ghomeshi after he was accused of assaulting women and who represented Vice-Admiral Mark Norman after he was accused of leaking cabinet confidences, Henein is a master of controversial fights. She has built a career on cases that have divided public opinion, but she romanticizes a time less divisive.

“I admit that for years I had naively taken it all for granted, what we have in this country, the inherent decency of Canadians,” she said. “I genuinely believe that.”