Constitutional law
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Facing Justice
In a decision delivered this morning, R. v. N.S., 2012 SCC 72, the Supreme Court has ruled that the rights of a witness who, for sincere religious reasons, wishes to testify with her face covered and those of an accused against whom she testifies must be balanced on a case-by-case basis, eschewing a bright-line rule, though suggesting that in… Continue reading
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Much Ado About a Living Tree
In preparation for a guest-lecture on constitutional interpretation that I am going to give in a few weeks at McGill, I just re-read the famous “Persons Case”―Edwards v. Canada (Attorney General), [1930] A.C. 124. It is remembered for its invocation of the “living tree” metaphor and for consecrating a “large and liberal” and evolving approach… Continue reading
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Le langage de la justice
Un article paru sur le site de Radio-Canada parle d’une étude réalisée par un avocat, Mark Power, de Heenan Blaikie, pour le compte de la Fédération des associations des juristes d’expression française de common law, portant sur la constitutionnalité de nominations de juges unilingues à la Cour suprême. Selon Me Power (ou du moins selon… Continue reading
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Anti-Terrorism Act Upheld
In a unanimous decision by the Chief Justice, the Supreme Court has today upheld the constitutionality of the anti-terrorism provisions of the Criminal Code, enacted after 9/11 as the Anti-Terrorism Act, S.C. 2001 c. 41. The case is R. v. Khawaja, 2012 SCC 69. In addition to constitutionality of the provisions in question Mr. Khawaja also raised issues relating… Continue reading
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The Limits of Independence
I want to return to the Québec Bar’s challenge against the constitutionality of all the mandatory minimum sentences increased or created by Bill C-10, the “tough on crime” omnibus bill adopted by Parliament earlier this year, about which I blogged here earlier this week. One of the grounds of possible unconstitutionality which the Bar raises… Continue reading
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What You Don’t Know
The BC Court of Appeal delivered an important decision this week, holding that the Charter does not protect the right of persons conceived with donor sperm (or egg) to “know their past”―that is, to know the identity and medical and social history of the donors whose biological offspring they are. The decision is Pratten v.… Continue reading
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La question à 100$
Radio-Canada rapporte les grandes lignes de la réforme de la Loi électorale québécoise, contenue dans le projet de loi 2 actuellement considéré par l’Assemblée nationale, sur lesquelles les partis politiques représentés à l’Assemblée nationale se seraient entendus. Le montant qu’un électeur pourra contribuer à un parti politique au cours d’une année sera diminué de 1000$ à… Continue reading
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Les limites de la pureté
Une nouvelle rapportée par Radio-Canada hier me permet de revenir, une fois de plus, sur la bêtise de l’obsession actuelle de la classe politique québécoise avec la limitation du rôle de l’argent en politique. Selon ce que rapporte Radio-Can, le député Jacques Duchesneau―qui avait, par le passé, refusé d’une façon très ostentatoire de solliciter des… Continue reading
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Booze, Fights, and Federalism
As Justice Fish pointed out in a recent lecture on “The Effect of Alcohol on Canadian Constitution,” “alcohol has nurtured our constitutional development from its earliest days.” Canadian constitutional lawyers can proudly say, with Churchill, that we “have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of” us. For instance, the double aspect… Continue reading
Double Aspect 