Law of Canada: Difference between revisions

 

The [[Constitution of Canada]] is the supreme law of the country, and consists of written text and unwritten conventions.<ref name="Dodek2016">{{Cite book |last=Dodek |first=Adam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=86s7CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT13 |title=The Canadian Constitution |publisher=Dundurn – University of Ottawa Faculty of Law |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-4597-3505-7 |page=13}}</ref> The ''Constitution Act, 1867'' (known as the [[British North America Acts|British North America Act]] prior to 1982), affirmed governance based on parliamentary precedent and divided powers between the federal and provincial governments.<ref name="Olive2015">{{Cite book |last=Olive |first=Andrea |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bvw_CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA41 |title=The Canadian Environment in Political Context |date=2015 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-1-4426-0871-9 |pages=41–42}}</ref> The [[Statute of Westminster 1931]] granted full autonomy, and the ''[[Constitution Act, 1982]]'' ended all legislative ties to Britain, as well as adding a constitutional amending formula and the ''[[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]''.<ref name="VishnooShirur1997">{{Cite book |last1=Bhagwan |first1=Vishnoo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YatgyeA5R4sC&pg=PA550 |title=World Constitutions |last2=Vidya |first2=Bhushan |publisher=Sterling Publishers |year=2004 |isbn=978-81-207-1937-8 |pages=549–550}}</ref> The ''Charter'' guarantees basic rights and freedoms that usually cannot be over-ridden by any government—though a [[Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms|notwithstanding clause]] allows Parliament and the provincial legislatures to override certain sections of the ''Charter'' for a period of five years.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bakan |first1=Joel |title=Canadian Constitutional Law |last2=Elliot |first2=Robin M |publisher=Emond Montgomery Publications |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-55239-085-6 |pages=3–8, 683–687, 699}}</ref>

[[Court system of Canada|Canada's judiciary]] plays an important role in interpreting laws and has the power to strike down Acts of Parliament that violate the constitution. The [[Supreme Court of Canada]] is the highest court and final arbiter and has been led since December 18, 2017, by [[Richard Wagner (judge)|Richard Wagner]], the [[Chief Justice of Canada|chief justice of Canada]].<ref>{{cite web |date=December 18, 2017 |title=Current and Former Chief Justices |url=http://www.scc-csc.ca/judges-juges/cfcju-jucp-eng.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180116062534/http://www.scc-csc.ca/judges-juges/cfcju-jucp-eng.aspx |archive-date=January 16, 2018 |publisher=Supreme Court of Canada |access-date=January 16, 2018}}</ref> Its nine members are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister and [[Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada|minister of justice]]. All judges at the superior and appellate levels are appointed after consultation with non-governmental legal bodies. The federal Cabinet also appoints justices to superior [[Provincial and territorial courts in Canada|courts in the provincial and territorial jurisdictions]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Yates |first1=Richard |url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontola00yate/page/93 |title=Introduction to Law in Canada |last2=Bain |first2=Penny |last3=Yates |first3=Ruth |publisher=Prentice Hall Allyn and Bacon Canada |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-13-792862-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/introductiontola00yate/page/93 93]}}</ref> [[Common law]] prevails everywhere except in Quebec, where [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] predominates.<ref name="Hermida2018b">{{cite book|first=Julian|last=Hermida|title=Criminal Law in Canada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MT9sDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT10|date=May 9, 2018|publisher=Kluwer Law International B.V.|isbn=978-90-411-9627-9|pages=10–}}</ref> [[Criminal law of Canada|Criminal law]] is solely a federal responsibility and is uniform throughout Canada.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sworden |first=Philip James |title=An introduction to Canadian law |publisher=Emond Montgomery Publications |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-55239-145-7 |pages=22, 150}}</ref> Law enforcement, including criminal courts, is officially a provincial responsibility, conducted by provincial and municipal police forces.<ref>{{cite web |year=2009 |title=Who we are |url=https://www.opp.ca/index.php?id=123 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826073944/http://www.opp.ca/index.php?id=123 |archive-date=August 26, 2016 |access-date=October 24, 2012 |publisher=Ontario Provincial Police}}</ref> However, in most rural areas and some urban areas, policing responsibilities are contracted to the federal [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Royal Canadian Mounted Police |title=Keeping Canada and Our Communities Safe and Secure |url=http://www.nbpei-ecn.ca/documents/ECN-Forensics.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706190335/http://www.nbpei-ecn.ca/documents/ECN-Forensics.pdf |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |access-date=May 23, 2011 |publisher=Queen's Printer}}</ref>