<P> Amendments to the Constitution of Canada are changes to the Constitution of Canada . </P> <P> Before 1982, modifying the Constitution of Canada primarily meant amending the British North America Act, 1867 . Unlike most constitutions, however, this Act had no amending formula: instead changes were enacted through Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (or "Imperial Parliament") called the British North America Acts . </P> <P> Other Commonwealth countries had taken over the authority for constitutional amendment after the Statute of Westminster 1931, but at the time, Canada decided to allow the Parliament of the United Kingdom to "temporarily" retain the power . With the Constitution Act 1982, Canada took over the authority to amend its own constitution, achieving full sovereignty . </P> <P> Between 1931 and 1982, the federal government, on behalf of the Canadian House of Commons and the Senate, would issue an address to the British government requesting an amendment . The request would include a resolution containing the desired amendments . These in turn, were always passed by the British Parliament, with little or no debate . </P>

Since when has the protocol for the amendment of the canadian constitution existed