Reading Time: 6 minutes Disponible en français. “Everyone has the … freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication.” – Section (2b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Freedom of Expression and the… Read More ›
Supreme Court of Canada
The Role of the Supreme Court of Canada – Membership and the Nomination Process
Reading Time: 5 minutes Disponible en français. The Supreme Court of Canada was created by statute in 1875. This HillNote describes the evolution of the membership and nomination process for Supreme Court justices over the years. Role of the Supreme Court The Supreme Court… Read More ›
Judicial Independence of Military Judges
Reading Time: 5 minutes Disponible en français. In 2020, military judges were forced to direct a stay of proceedings of four courts martial (Edwards, Crépeau [in French], Fontaine [in French], and Iredale) after determining that an order issued by the then-Chief of the Defence… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Bilingualism in Canada’s Court System: The Role of the Federal Government
Reading Time: 2 minutes Disponible en français. There are various rules governing the use of French and English within the Canadian judicial system. This Background Paper focuses on the federal government’s role in the matter, looking particularly at the issues relating to bilingualism within the Canadian court system. There are a number of different acts that govern the administration of justice in the two official… Read More ›
Ensuring access to quality education for students enrolled in minority language schools
Reading Time: 5 minutes (Disponible en français : Assurer l’accès à une éducation de qualité aux élèves inscrits dans les écoles de la minorité) The constitutional right to an education in one’s own language Under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and… Read More ›
The Right to Be Left Alone and Police Powers in Canada: Is an Update Needed?
Reading Time: 2 minutes (Disponible en français : Le droit de ne pas être importuné et les pouvoirs policiers au Canada : une mise à jour s’impose‑t‑elle?) One of the pillars of the law is predictability. Yet decisions of Canada’s highest court on the… Read More ›
The Canadian Consular Service and Response to COVID-19
Reading Time: 5 minutes 24 April 2020, 9:10 a.m. (Disponible en français : Les services consulaires du Canada et leur intervention face à la COVID-19) In February 2020, the Government of Canada chartered two flights out of Wuhan, China, the capital of Hubei province… Read More ›
Freedom of Expression – A Continuing Debate
Reading Time: 6 minutes (Disponible en français : La liberté d’expression : un débat qui se poursuit) “Everyone has the … freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication.” – Section (2b) of the Canadian… Read More ›
Unreasonable Delays in Criminal Trials: the Impact of the Jordan Decision
Reading Time: 5 minutes (Disponible en français : Délais déraisonnables lors des procès criminels : les suites de l’arrêt Jordan) For a summary of the Jordan decision, see Maxime Charron-Tousignant, Unreasonable Delays in Criminal Trials: New Legal Framework, HillNotes, 17 August 2016. The Supreme Court of Canada’s… Read More ›
The Supreme Court of Canada’s Re-Examination of Internal Trade: The Case of Beer
Reading Time: 4 minutes (Disponible en français : Affaire Gérard Comeau : Le commerce intérieur bientôt dans la mire de la Cour suprême du Canada) About 150 years ago, Canada’s Fathers of Confederation contemplated trade across provincial boundaries when drafting section 121 of the… Read More ›