Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Canada (102)
- Canada. Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (56)
- Constitutional law (35)
- Canada. Supreme Court (19)
- Judicial review (14)
-
- United States (9)
- Civil rights (6)
- Democracy (6)
- Federal government (5)
- Constitutional history (3)
- Constitutional law--Interpretation and construction (3)
- Freedom of religion (3)
- Indigenous peoples--Legal status, laws, etc. (3)
- Mandatory sentences (3)
- National security--Law and legislation (3)
- Abortion (2)
- Administrative law (2)
- Appellate courts (2)
- Constitutional amendments (2)
- Deportation (2)
- Discrimination--Law and legislation (2)
- Etc. (2)
- European Union (2)
- Freedom of speech (2)
- Germany (2)
- Government accountability (2)
- Government liability (2)
- Human rights (2)
- Indigenous peoples--Government relations (2)
- Judicial power (2)
Articles 91 - 120 of 128
Full-Text Articles in Law
Protecting Rights And Promoting Democracy: Judicial Review Under Section 1 Of The Charter, Martha Jackman
Protecting Rights And Promoting Democracy: Judicial Review Under Section 1 Of The Charter, Martha Jackman
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
The author argues that, under section 1 of the Charter, the courts must weigh carefully the democratic potential of rights guarantees against the democratic quality of government decisions which undermine those rights. The article points to the Egan and Eldridge cases as examples of decisions in which the willingness to uphold rights violations under section 1, in the name of deference to the legislature, actually undermines democratic values. The article examines the RIR-MacDonald decision as a starting point for a section 1 analysis which identifies the characteristics of government decisionmaking that must be present if rights violations are to be …
Spousal Incompetency And The Charter, Hamish Stewart
Spousal Incompetency And The Charter, Hamish Stewart
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
This article considers the effect of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on the rule of spousal incompetency in criminal proceedings. The rule is arguably under-inclusive, in that it is not available to protect opposite-sex couples who are not legally married or same-sex couples; on the other hand, the rule is arguably offensive to the modem conception of marriage. The Charter arguments for each of these positions are considered, and it is submitted that the Charter requires the rule of spousal incompetency, whatever it is, to apply equally to legally married couples, to cohabitants, and to same-sex couples. A …
The Canadian Charter And Public International Law: Redefining The State's Power To Deport Aliens, Daniela Bassan
The Canadian Charter And Public International Law: Redefining The State's Power To Deport Aliens, Daniela Bassan
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
This article considers the relationship between international and domestic law in deportation proceedings. The argument is made that, generally, Canadian law should be interpreted consistently with Canada's obligations at international law, as reflected in conventions and custom. More specifically, the article proposes that Canada's obligation at international law to protect the family and the child be recognized in Canadian law as one of the principles of fundamental justice under section 7 of the Charter. The protection of the family is engaged by the deportation of domiciled aliens because, by definition, these deportees have been in Canada for a long period …
The Characterization Of Barriers To Interprovincial Trade Under The Canadian Constitution, George Vegh
The Characterization Of Barriers To Interprovincial Trade Under The Canadian Constitution, George Vegh
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
This article identifies barriers to interprovincial trade as a legislative subject matter under the constitutional division of powers. It argues that interprovincial trade barriers should be characterized in terms of the disproportionate impact that provincial measures have on the flow of trade between the provinces. The term "disproportionate impact" means the measures' impediments to the flow of trade which are not necessary to implement the objectives of provincial legislation. This method of identifying trade barriers has been used to address trade barriers and other arrangements, such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement, …
Aboriginal Governments And The Canadian Charter Of Rights And Freedoms, Kent Mcneil
Aboriginal Governments And The Canadian Charter Of Rights And Freedoms, Kent Mcneil
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
Starting with the premise that the Aboriginal peoples of Canada have an inherent right of self-government which is constitutionally protected, this article analyzes the issue of whether Aboriginal governments exercising that right are subject to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This issue is examined from a legal perspective based on textual analysis and common law principles. It is concluded that, as a matter of Canadian constitutional law, with the exception of the section 28 gender equality provision, the Charter does not apply to Aboriginal governments. This avoids imposition of the Charter generally on these governments by judicial decree, …
The Organic Constitution: Aboriginal Peoples And The Evolution Of Canada, Brian Slattery
The Organic Constitution: Aboriginal Peoples And The Evolution Of Canada, Brian Slattery
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
Despite recent advances in the law of aboriginal rights, most Canadian lawyers still tacitly view the Constitution as the outgrowth of European legal traditions, transplanted into North America. This article identifies the main features of this model of the Constitution and proposes a more appropriate model to replace it, one that recognizes the Constitution's deep roots in Canadian history and traditions, and acknowledges the distinctive contributions of Aboriginal peoples and their long-standing relations with the Crown.
Secret Proceedings In Canada, Ian Leigh
Secret Proceedings In Canada, Ian Leigh
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
National security and constitutionalism are often thought to be fundamentally incompatible. Recent reforms in Canada involve creative attempts to recognize constitutional rights to fair procedure within processes in which individuals' rights are in conflict with state security interests, such as security clearance, deportation, or access to information. The procedures examined in this article include in camera and ex parte review by Federal Court judges and the use of the Security Intelligence Review Committee. The analysis draws on interviews with participants and compares these procedures with other situations in which restrictions upon open justice have faced Charter challenge, especially under sections …
Is The Pearson Airport Legislation Unconstitutional?: The Rule Of Law As A Limit On Contract Repudiation By Government, Patrick J. Monahan
Is The Pearson Airport Legislation Unconstitutional?: The Rule Of Law As A Limit On Contract Repudiation By Government, Patrick J. Monahan
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
It has long been assumed that Parliament has unlimited power to enact legislation cancelling valid contracts and denying compensation to any persons affected. This paper challenges that conventional wisdom. The author argues that the principle of the rule of law requires that governments be accountable in the ordinary courts for wrongful actions of government officials. This principle is undermined if government is absolved from any liability for breach of a fairly bargained and valid contract. Thus, legislation purporting to abrogate contracts and deny compensation is invalid, since it violates the implied limits on legislative authority associated with the rule of …
Second Chances: Bill C-72 And The Charter, Isabel Grant
Second Chances: Bill C-72 And The Charter, Isabel Grant
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
This paper examines the legislative response to the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in R. v. Daviault. The author argues that Bill C-72, which limits the defence of extreme intoxication, is constitutional because of its strong underpinnings in equality. The author reviews the statistics on violence against women and the role of intoxication in that violence to illustrate why the defence of intoxication raises issues of sex equality. The author argues that a court assessing the constitutionality of Bill C-72 should consider this strong foundation in equality and the fact that the Bill is the result of a careful balancing …
Standing In Charter Declaratory Actions, June M. Ross
Standing In Charter Declaratory Actions, June M. Ross
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
Standing rules applicable to Charter declaratory actions are examined. It is argued that, in Charter cases, Supreme Court has taken a restrictive approach to public interest standing that is inconsistent with prior case law and does not forward the purposes of standing law. Alternative forms of standing are also examined. The use of the traditional form of private standing has been severely and, it is suggested, unnecessarily restricted in Charter actions. However, there is a potential for a new form of private standing in the "section 24" plaintiff. The implications of both of these developments are considered.
The Law And Politics Of Quebec Secession, Patrick J. Monahan
The Law And Politics Of Quebec Secession, Patrick J. Monahan
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
This paper considers the various legal issues that would arise in the context of Quebec's secession from Canada, and attempts to situate these issues politically. The author argues that, under the current constitutional amending formula, Quebec secession would require the support of the federal Parliament as well as the unanimous consent of the provinces; he also suggests that it is extremely unlikely that this level of support would be attained. The paper goes on to explore the possibility of Quebec seceding from Canada through a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI), suggesting that the success or failure of a UDI would …
The Paradoxes Of National Self-Determination, Brian Slattery
The Paradoxes Of National Self-Determination, Brian Slattery
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
Some have argued that the right of national self-determination gives every national group the power to decide for itself whether to remain part of an existing state or to secede unilaterally and form its own state. Such a theory underpins the claim that Quebec is entitled to decide on its own whether or not to leave Canada. This paper examines the main philosophical arguments for the theory and finds them one-dimensional and inadequate; they fail to take account of the full range of complex issues arising in actual cases of proposed secession. If the right of national self-determination is understood …
Provincial Fiduciary Obligations To First Nations: The Nexus Between Governmental Power And Responsibility, Leonard I. Rotman
Provincial Fiduciary Obligations To First Nations: The Nexus Between Governmental Power And Responsibility, Leonard I. Rotman
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
The Canadian Crown's fiduciary duty to First Nations is entrenched in Canadian Aboriginal rights jurisprudence. More than ten years after the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in Guerin, however, yet to be ascertained are the various emanations of the Crown bound by that duty. This paper argues that both federal and provincial Crowns are properly bound by fiduciary obligations to First Nations. It also suggests that the basis of this assertion may be found in existing jurisprudence, the Canadian Constitution, the spirit and intent of Indian treaties, and in Aboriginal understandings of "the Crown."
Les Représentations De «Société Libre Et Démocratique» A La Cour Dickson : La Rhétorique Dans Le Discours Judiciaire Canadien, Andree Lajoie, Regine Robin, Sebastien Grammond, Henry Quillinan, Louise Rolland, Stéphane Perrault, Armelle Chitrit
Les Représentations De «Société Libre Et Démocratique» A La Cour Dickson : La Rhétorique Dans Le Discours Judiciaire Canadien, Andree Lajoie, Regine Robin, Sebastien Grammond, Henry Quillinan, Louise Rolland, Stéphane Perrault, Armelle Chitrit
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
The expression "free and democratic society" is the focus of our research, which sheds light on the contribution of the Supreme Court to the constitutionalization of this concept. Leaving aside the institutional and psycho-social factors, the study confirms the hypothesis that the interpretation of this expression will vary (1) according to the conceptions formerly held by the individual judges and (2) with respect to the factors favoured by a rhetorical Perelman-like analysis, which considers the factual and judicial context and the expectations of both the universal and specific audiences. At the Supreme Court level, the expectations of the latter should …
Culture And The Canadian Constitution, Patrick J. Monahan
Culture And The Canadian Constitution, Patrick J. Monahan
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
This article examines the current division of powers over cultural matters in the Canadian Constitution and the manner in which the 1992 Charlottetown Accord would have altered that distribution. During the debate over the Charlottetown Accord, it was argued by the federal government and the provinces that the Constitution allocates primary legislative responsibility over cultural matters to the provinces. Therefore, the cultural amendments in the Accord which would have recognized the provinces' exclusive jurisdiction to make laws in relation to culture were justified on the basis that they merely codified the status quo. This paper challenges the belief that the …
The Difficulty Of Amending The Constitution Of Canada, Peter W. Hogg
The Difficulty Of Amending The Constitution Of Canada, Peter W. Hogg
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
The Charlottetown Accord of 1992 was a set of proposals for amendments to the Constitution of Canada. These proposals were designed to achieve a national settlement of a variety of constitutional grievances, chiefly those arising from Quebec nationalism, western regionalism, and Aboriginal deprivation. The Accord was defeated in a national referendum. In the case of Quebec, the defeat of the Charlottetown Accord, following as it did on the defeat of the Meech Lake Accord, has made the option of secession relatively more attractive, but there are sound pragmatic reasons to hope that Quebec will not make that choice. In the …
Police Implementation Of Supreme Court Of Canada Charter Decisions: An Empirical Study, Kathryn Moore
Police Implementation Of Supreme Court Of Canada Charter Decisions: An Empirical Study, Kathryn Moore
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
Little empirical research has been done on the Charter's impact on the public policy process. This paper presents the results of an empirical research study designed to fill that gap. The study examined the manner in which a municipal police force and the RCMP implemented changes to procedures following two Supreme Court of Canada Charter decisions. The paper concludes that, while steps have been taken to develop a process by which Supreme Court decisions are implemented, the process would be improved if one body were allocated responsibility for the provision of interim information to the police.
The Charter Of Rights And Public Policy In Canada, Patrick J. Monahan, Marie Finkelstein
The Charter Of Rights And Public Policy In Canada, Patrick J. Monahan, Marie Finkelstein
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
Much of the literature on the Charter has focused on the manner in which the courts have interpreted the document. This essay examines the Charter from another perspective-its impact on the policy process within government. Drawing on a series of papers prepared by senior government officials at both the federal and provincial levels, the authors argue that the Charter has permanently changed the way in which governments formulate and implement public policy in Canada. Virtually all policy proposals making their way to the Cabinet table must be examined to ensure that they conform to the requirements of the Charter. This …
Devolution Or Disunion: The Constitution After Meech Lake, Calvin Massey
Devolution Or Disunion: The Constitution After Meech Lake, Calvin Massey
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
Professor Massey discusses the theoretical benefits of decentralized federalism and proposes constitutional changes to obtain those benefits and to respond to the disparate aspirations of the Canadian polity. He proposes that the provinces and federal government share concurrent authority over most powers, with provincial legislation paramount in cases of conflict. He suggests an empowered Senate, partially selected by the provinces and partially appointed by the federal government, aboriginal self-government, and territorial Senate representation. Finally, Massey proposes altering the constitutional amending formula to enhance public participation and facilitate amendment where unanimity is not critical.
...Meech Lake To The Contrary Notwithstanding (Part Ii), Roderick A. Macdonald
...Meech Lake To The Contrary Notwithstanding (Part Ii), Roderick A. Macdonald
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
In this essay, which has been published in two parts, the author argues that the Meech Lake Accord was more than a hastily cobbled together political deal between the Prime Minister and ten provincial premiers. Despite the unattractive process by which the Meech Lake Accord was struck, and especially defended, despite the disingenuous character of the arguments most often advanced for its adoption, and despite its close connection with other aspects of the federal government's political agenda which many Canadians found suspicious, the Meech Lake Accord did respond to an important issue in post-patriation constitutionalism. A review of Canadian constitutional …
...Meech Lake To The Contrary Notwithstanding (Part I), Roderick A. Macdonald
...Meech Lake To The Contrary Notwithstanding (Part I), Roderick A. Macdonald
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
In this essay, which will be published in two parts, the author argues that the Meech Lake Accord was more than a hastily cobbled together political deal between the Prime Minister and ten provincial premiers. Despite the unattractive process by which the Meech Lake Accord was struck, and especially defended, despite the disingenuous character of the arguments most often advanced for its adoption, and despite its close connection with other aspects of the federal government's political agenda which many Canadians found suspicious, the Meech Lake Accord did respond to an important issue in post-patriation constitutionalism. A review of Canadian constitutional …
Rethinking Manner And Form: From Parliamentary Sovereignty To Constitutional Values, R. Elliot
Rethinking Manner And Form: From Parliamentary Sovereignty To Constitutional Values, R. Elliot
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
The issue of whether a legislative body in a democratic society can bind itself on matters relating to the procedures by which the legislation is to be enacted, amended or repealed has, to this point, tended to dissolve into the question of which of two contending formulations of the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty one prefers, Dicey's traditional formulation or the "new view" by Jennings and others. The author argues that, regardless of how one formulates it, the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty provides an unsound basis upon which to resolve this issue, and that an alternative basis is therefore needed. That …
Charter Challenges: A Test Case For Theories Of Law, W. J. Waluchow
Charter Challenges: A Test Case For Theories Of Law, W. J. Waluchow
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
The author's primary objective is to show that versions of legal positivism, according to which legal validity sometimes depends on moral validity (Inclusive Legal Positivism), are theoretically preferable to those forms of positivism (Exclusive Legal Positivism) which deny this possibility. The author attempts to substantiate this conclusion by demonstrating that Inclusive Legal Positivism provides a better theoretical account of challenges to legal validity based on a document like the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. His secondary aim is to show that the choice between Inclusive and Exclusive Legal Positivism can have important consequences for legal practice.
The Principles Of Fundamental Justice: The Constitution And The Common Law, J. M. Evans
The Principles Of Fundamental Justice: The Constitution And The Common Law, J. M. Evans
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
This article examines the application of the principles of fundamental justice in section 7 of the Charter to administrative law, and in particular its relationship to non-constitutional grounds of judicial review. The author argues that in this area of the law the common law should generally be regarded as the source of the basic tenets of our legal system that section 7 has been said to embody. The author suggests that the traditional grounds of judicial review of administrative action represent the courts' accommodation of individual rights and the collective interest, and thus cover much the same ground as the …
Ties That Bind?: The Supreme Court Of Canada, American Jurisprudence, And The Revision Of Canadian Criminal Law Under The Charter, Robert Harvie, Hamar Foster
Ties That Bind?: The Supreme Court Of Canada, American Jurisprudence, And The Revision Of Canadian Criminal Law Under The Charter, Robert Harvie, Hamar Foster
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
Chief Justice Dickson has suggested that Canadian jurists should consult American authority in Charter cases, but with care. The authors look at how the Court has followed this advice in its own criminal decisions rendered prior to March 1989, in which American authority is cited in less than 50 percent of the cases. The authors conclude that, in some significant areas, the Court has interpreted the interests of the accused more broadly than the American Supreme Court does and has on occasion done so without citing divergent U.S. precedent. The effect of sections 1 and 24(2) of the Charter on …
Interpreting The Charter Of Rights: Generosity And Justification, Peter W. Hogg
Interpreting The Charter Of Rights: Generosity And Justification, Peter W. Hogg
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
The author argues that there is a close relationship between the scope of the rights guaranteed by the Charter and the standard of justification required under section 1. The broader the scope of a right, the more relaxed the standard of justification must be. A generous interpretation of a right is incompatible with the stringent Oakes standard of justification. However, a purposive interpretation of a right, confining the right to conduct that is worthy of constitutional protection, is compatible with a stringent standard of justification.
Cross Cultural Reflections: Teaching The Charter To Americans, Jamie Cameron
Cross Cultural Reflections: Teaching The Charter To Americans, Jamie Cameron
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
In this article, the author discusses a course in Comparative Constitutional Jurisprudence that she taught at Cornell Law School in the winter semester of 1989. She is particularly interested in the way this class of American students responded to the Supreme Court of Canada's interpretation of the Charter. She presents her reflections on differences between Canadian and American constitutional culture through a discussion of the decisions in The Motor Vehicle Reference, R. v. Morgentaler, and The French Language Case.
The Contractual Liability Of The Crown And Its Agents, Sue Arrowsmith
The Contractual Liability Of The Crown And Its Agents, Sue Arrowsmith
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
This article considers the question of the capacity in which Crown agents enter into contracts - whether on behalf of the Crown or in an independent capacity - and examines the significance of this for questions such as the application of Crown immunities. It is argued that the courts' attempt to deal with these questions through the recognition of a dual capacity in Crown agents and the application of the private law of agency is highly unsatisfactory, and it is suggested that this area well illustrates the pressing need to reconsider the dual legal status of the administration.
The Evolution Of The Limitation Clause, Janet Hiebert
The Evolution Of The Limitation Clause, Janet Hiebert
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
The evolution of the limitation clause reveals a rigorous and changing political discourse about the nature of rights and limitations. While the larger issue in the entrenchment debate focussed on whether legislatures or courts were best suited to protect Canadians' interests, a fundamental concern underlying the debate was the scope of permissible limitations on protected rights. Many commentators argued that an explicit limitation clause was not necessary because courts would fashion the appropriate limits on rights. Provincial and federal drafters, however, rejected the assumption implicit in this suggestion: that the Charter was to provide an exhaustive statement of all values …
Contempt For Workers, Harry J. Glasbeek
Contempt For Workers, Harry J. Glasbeek
Osgoode Hall Law Journal
Charter proponents have been hopeful that the courts will use the constitutional entrenchment of rights to enlarge the political freedom of Canadians. Charter opponents have been doubtful of the court's ability to do so and, more importantly, of their willingness to do so where the enhancement of rights would undermine existing power relations. While many cases which come before the courts do not raise this issue squarely, the contradictory propositions are tested where capital labour conflicts are the subject of litigation. The argument is that it is the courts' historic mission to safeguard capital from working class challenges. Two recent …