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Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in Law

Parents, Children, And The Law Of Assault, Hamish Stewart Apr 2009

Parents, Children, And The Law Of Assault, Hamish Stewart

Dalhousie Law Journal

The debate concerning the constitutionality and the possible repeal of s. 43 of the Criminal Code, the so-called "spanking" provision, has raised an important issue: when a parent touches a child without the child's consent, under what conditions is the parent's conduct an assault? Supporters of the'repeal of s. 43 have suggested that parents are protected from inappropriate prosecutions by the exercise of prosecutorial discretion and by the common law defences of de minimis non curat lex and necessity But prosecutorial discretion is not a suitable substitute for a proper definition of the scope of criminal liability,and the defences ofde …


Great Strides In Section 9 Jurisprudence, Steve Coughlan Jan 2009

Great Strides In Section 9 Jurisprudence, Steve Coughlan

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

The perfect is the enemy of the good. Could the approach to section 9 laid out in Grant have been constructed differently? Yes. But are we, because of that decision, magnitudes of order clearer on how to approach section 9? Also yes. The Supreme Court's decision in Grant, seemingly the product of careful negotiation given the time it has taken for the judgment to be handed down in a fashion having a clear majority, has created what has for over 25 years been lacking with regard to arbitrary detention. Where before we had very few decisions, those decisions not easily …


R. V. Ha: Upholding General Warrants Without Asking The Right Questions, Steve Coughlan Jan 2009

R. V. Ha: Upholding General Warrants Without Asking The Right Questions, Steve Coughlan

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

To date, in considering general warrants, courts have been failing even to think about a distinction which ought to be seen as essential. The distinction arises in connection with the requirement in section 487.01 (l)(c) of the Criminal Code that a general warrant is only available when no other provision in any statute could authorize the search. In R. v. Ha, reported ante p. 24, the Ontario Court of Appeal notes that: The simple fact is that there is no provision in the Code, the CDSA, or in any other federal statute that would authorize an unlimited number of covert …


Laws Of Desire: The Political Morality Of Public Sex, Elaine Craig Jan 2009

Laws Of Desire: The Political Morality Of Public Sex, Elaine Craig

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

In deciding cases that involve the intersection of criminal law and sexual mores, the courts are faced with the challenge of determining the appropriate moral framework from which to approach simultaneously private and social concerns. In indecency cases, Canadian courts historically employed a communitarian model of sexual morality based on the community’s standard of tolerance. However, the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent jurisprudence affirms a harm-based test, which relies upon and protects the fundamental values enshrined in the Canadian constitution. This article analyzes the Court’s decisions in R. v. Labaye and R. v. Kouri and demonstrates that these cases represent …


Ten Years After Ewanchuk The Art Of Seduction Is Alive And Well: An Examination Of The Mistaken Belief In Consent Defence, Elaine Craig Jan 2009

Ten Years After Ewanchuk The Art Of Seduction Is Alive And Well: An Examination Of The Mistaken Belief In Consent Defence, Elaine Craig

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

It has been a decade since the Supreme Court of Canada released its controversial decision in R. v. Ewanchuk. One of the central doctrinal issues raised by critics of Ewanchuk was a concern that it would not sufficiently allow for the mistaken belief defence in cases involving ‘morally innocent’ accused engaged in typical sexual overtures or in cases where the accused and complainant were in an ongoing sexual relationship at the time of the offence. A review of the reported cases, since 1998, demonstrates that the Ewanchuk analysis, properly interpreted, does not unjustly criminalize the progression of intimate behavior between …


The Political Morality Of Public Sex, Elaine Craig Jan 2009

The Political Morality Of Public Sex, Elaine Craig

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

In deciding cases that involve the intersection of criminal law and sexual mores, the courts are faced with the challenge of determining the appropriate moral framework from which to approach simultaneously pri- vate and social concerns. In indecency cases, Canadian courts historically employed a communitarian model of sexual morality based on the community’s standard of tolerance. However, the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent jurisprudence affirms a harm-based test, which relies upon and protects the fundamental values en- shrined in the Canadian constitution. This article ana- lyzes the Court’s decisions in R. v. Labaye and R. v. Kouri and demonstrates that …


Beyond The Goudge Inquiry: Is The Coroner Part Of 'The Crown' For Stinchcombe Disclosure Obligations?, Andrew Flavelle Martin Jan 2009

Beyond The Goudge Inquiry: Is The Coroner Part Of 'The Crown' For Stinchcombe Disclosure Obligations?, Andrew Flavelle Martin

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Pediatric forensic pathology evidence is a critical component of the investigation and prosecution of child and infant death. Several years ago, concerns arose over the work of Dr. Charles Smith, then a renowned expert in the field. The Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario ("The Coroner") then commissioned an external review of his work on 45 cases. For each case where his findings or conclusions were disputed and the accused had not been acquitted, the defence counsel was given the corresponding reports. In response to the review, the Government of Ontario commissioned a public inquiry led by Justice Stephen …