-
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Pipeline…
The Rule of Law need not be exclusively the rule of courts. But in order for a society to be governed by the Rule of Law, even those who advocate a “thick” conception of the Rule of Law say that we need an impartial system of courts (see Tom Bingham, “The Rule of Law”; and
-
R v Poulin: Charter Interpretation in the Spotlight
Introduction Section 11 (i) of the Charter guarantees the right to offenders “if found guilty of the offence and if the punishment for the offence has been varied between the time of commission and the time of sentencing, to the benefit of the lesser punishment.” Ambiguity ripples through this provision. Most notably, does the provision
-
The Road to Serfdom at 75: Part II
Hayek’s proposals for resisting collectivism
-
Can the Administrative Process Achieve Social Justice?
Can administrative law achieve any ideal of social justice? The answer is perhaps yes. But there is nothing built-in the system to encourage this result. For that reason, deference to administrators because of the political aims they might pursue is a week reed on which to rest a more general case for deference. This much
-
Much Ado About Context: A Note in Anticipation of Vavilov et al
A short post today about the role of “context” in administrative law. Many speak about “context” in the law of judicial review as if it is some inherent element of the law. In Khosa, Justice Binnie, for example, noted that in applying the reasonableness standard of review, the standard “takes its colour from the context”
-
Upcoming Talks
Following in my co-blogger Leonid Sirota’s footsteps, I am posting a list of the talks I am giving across Canada this fall. My list is much shorter than Leonid’s, but if you are at any of these events, please feel free to come say hello. As Leonid says, it is always great to meet readers
-
Ignoring Legislative Intent: Deference in Quebec and s.96
The constitutionality of a regime of deference is not something much explored in the wider context of Canadian administrative law. But in Quebec, the question is a live one because of particular statutory and judicial arrangements. The Quebec Court of Appeal just released a case [the Reference] that dealt with the question head on: does
-
The Rule of Law All the Way Up
Introducing my recently-published chapter on the Rule of Law and Canadian constitutional law
Double Aspect 