Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Publication
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 10 of 10
Full-Text Articles in Law
Does The Attorney General Have A Duty To Defend Her Legislature’S Statutes? A Comment On The Reference Re Genetic Non-Discrimination Act, Andrew Martin
Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press
The Reference Re Genetic Non-Discrimination Act was unusual because the Attorney General for Canada argued that federal legislation was unconstitutional. In this comment, I explore the implications of this choice for the role of the Attorney General and her relationship with Parliament. I argue that the Attorney General has a duty not to defend legislation, including legislation that began as a private member’s bill, that she reasonably believes to be unconstitutional – and that if Parliament wants to defend such legislation, it should do so itself instead of relying on the Attorney General. If Parliament does not do so, the …
Unconstitutional Or Just Unworkable? The Life And Death Of A Prohibition On Floor-Crossing In Fletcher V The Government Of Manitoba, Andrew Martin
Unconstitutional Or Just Unworkable? The Life And Death Of A Prohibition On Floor-Crossing In Fletcher V The Government Of Manitoba, Andrew Martin
Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press
Fletcher v the Government of Manitoba is the first reported challenge to a floor-crossing prohibition under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This case comment begins with the legislative history of the challenged provision and then provides an overview and critique of the reasons in Fletcher. Against this backdrop, it then reflects on the lessons of the case in two respects. The first is the difficulty in translating a policy idea into legislation – specifically, defining the conduct to be prohibited and determining the appropriate deterrent or penalty for breach. The second respect is the government’s role in …
Should Medical Assistance In Dying Be Extended To Incompetent Patients With Dementia? Research Protocol Of A Survey Among Four Groups Of Stakeholders From Quebec, Canada, Gina Bravo, Claudie Rodrigue, Vincent Thériault, Marcel Arcand, Jocelyn Downie, Marie-France Dubois, Sharon Kaasalainen, Cees M. Hertogh, Sophie Pautex, Lieve Van Den Block
Should Medical Assistance In Dying Be Extended To Incompetent Patients With Dementia? Research Protocol Of A Survey Among Four Groups Of Stakeholders From Quebec, Canada, Gina Bravo, Claudie Rodrigue, Vincent Thériault, Marcel Arcand, Jocelyn Downie, Marie-France Dubois, Sharon Kaasalainen, Cees M. Hertogh, Sophie Pautex, Lieve Van Den Block
Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press
Background: Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders affect a growing number of people worldwide. Quality of life is generally good in the early stages of these diseases. However, many individuals fear living through the advanced stages. Such fears are triggering requests for medical assistance in dying (MAiD) by patients with dementia. Legislation was recently passed in Canada and the province of Quebec allowing MAiD at the explicit request of a patient who meets a set of eligibility criteria, including competence. Some commentators have argued that MAiD should be accessible to incompetent patients as well, provided appropriate safeguards are in place. Governments …
Digital Evidence And The Adversarial System, Colton Fehr
Digital Evidence And The Adversarial System, Colton Fehr
Canadian Journal of Law and Technology
Scholars have observed that the adversarial system tends to provide courts with only a ‘‘small snapshot of the technological whole,” which in turn forms the record upon which broader legal pronouncements occur. As a result, they contend that legislatures should be more proactive in making rules governing complex and rapidly advancing technologies, and that courts must show deference to these rules. Other scholars retort that, in practice, legislatures often fail to update obviously flawed and outdated privacy provisions. Whether due to special interest influence, majoritarian dislike of criminal suspects, or other institutional constraints, legislative responses have been wanting. As such, …
Judges And Religious-Based Reasoning, David Blaikie, Diana Ginn
Judges And Religious-Based Reasoning, David Blaikie, Diana Ginn
Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press
Is it ever acceptable for a judge in a secular liberal democracy to rely on, and explicitly refer to, religious-based reasoning in reaching a decision? While it is unlikely that many Canadian judges will be seized with the desire to include religious-based reasoning in their judgments, we raise this issue because it allows us to examine the appropriate role of religious-based discourse in a challenging context, where arguments about unconstitutionality are strongest. In a previous article, we concluded that there are no ethical impediments to citizens using such discourse in discussing public affairs. We argued that it is no less …
Social And Economic Rights In Canada: What Are They And Who Can Best Protect Them?, A. Wayne Mackay
Social And Economic Rights In Canada: What Are They And Who Can Best Protect Them?, A. Wayne Mackay
Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press
This article examines the development and current status of positive social and economic rights in Canada. Exploring the comparative competence of legislatures, courts and human rights tribunals, Wayne MacKay suggests that courts should depart, with caution, from their traditional deferential role to legislators. Due to their flexibility and accessibility, HR Tribunals should supplement the role of the courts and legislatures in giving effect to social and economic rights, which should form part of a holistic package of human rights in Canada.
Public Health Protection And Drinking Water Quality On First Nation Reserves: Considering The New Federal Regulatory Proposal, Constance Macintosh
Public Health Protection And Drinking Water Quality On First Nation Reserves: Considering The New Federal Regulatory Proposal, Constance Macintosh
Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press
In January 2009, the federal government issued a discussion paper that details its preferred regulatory route for enabling a legislative framework. This route is to referentially incorporate provincial legislation regarding operational standards through a framework statute, and then develop the details of the regime through regulations to be developed in consultation with First Nations over the next few years. Importantly, the opening sentence of the discussion paper's executive summary expressly connects water and public health. It reads: "The provision of safe drinking water and the effective treatment of wastewater are critical in ensuring the health and safety of First Nations …
A Feminist Exploration Of Issues Around Assisted Death, Jocelyn Downie, Susan Sherwin
A Feminist Exploration Of Issues Around Assisted Death, Jocelyn Downie, Susan Sherwin
Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press
Although a great deal of public attention has recently been focused on issues around assisted death remarkably little of it has come from an explicitly feminist perspective. This is a serious omission at a time when legislators are feeling pressure to review and perhaps revise existing policies on assisted death, and when the policies they contemplate may have a significant negative and disproportionate impact on women. We think it is essential that there be some discussion of these issues from an explicitly feminist perspective in order to ensure that concerns about the oppression of women become part of the public …
The Teaching Of Legislation In Canadian Law Faculties, W Maclauchlan, T G. Ison, H N. Janisch, P A. Coté
The Teaching Of Legislation In Canadian Law Faculties, W Maclauchlan, T G. Ison, H N. Janisch, P A. Coté
Dalhousie Law Journal
Wade MacLauchlan: On behalf of Pierre Issalys, who serves as co- President of the Administrative Law Section of the Canadian Association of Law Teachers, and myself, I would like to welcome you to our annual section meeting. The subject which has been adopted for today's meeting is: "The Teaching of Legislation in Canadian Law Faculties". We have the good fortune to have as panelists three of the most experienced and vital teachers of Administrative Law in the country. Professors Terry Ison of Osgoode Hall Law School, Hudson Janisch of the University of Toronto and Pierre-Andr6 Cot6 of l'Universit6 de Montr6al …
The Ascendancy Of Legislation: Legal Problem Solving In Our Time, Frank P. Grad
The Ascendancy Of Legislation: Legal Problem Solving In Our Time, Frank P. Grad
Dalhousie Law Journal
Law making in our time depends on legislation, and our primary reliance on statutory law is being increasingly recognized, even though, as James Williard Hurst recently put it, "Judge-made law is still the darling of legal philosophers."' It has also remained at the misplaced center of much of our legal education.' I hope to trace the movement toward the full acceptance of statutes as a source of law, including brief notes on early twentieth century efforts to salvage the common law through the machinery of law revision commissions and through the Restatements developed by the American Law Institute. The New …