Law Commons^™

An Unashamed Majoritarian, James Allan

Dalhousie Law Journal

The author a Canadian teaching in Australia, challenges what he regards as the prevailing Canadian orthodoxy, one that he thinks gives the unelected judiciary too much power. He challenges the perception that rights, however understood and though fully supported, necessitate the construction of anti-majoritarian protections such as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Knowing that the Charter is here to stay he concludes by urging judges to adopt methods of interpretation that build in a much greater degree of deference to the legislature.