Syllabus

Foundations of
Canadian Law
Revised for 2023

Candidates are advised that this syllabus may be updated from

time to time without prior notice.

Candidates are responsible for obtaining the most current

syllabus available.

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 Foundations of Canadian Law

OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE

➢ To provide NCA applicants with an introduction to and an overview of Canada’s legal

system and the role of law in Canadian society;
➢ To review various legal theories as they apply to Canadian law;
➢ To introduce the overarching legal framework within which the particular areas of law
studied in other courses operate;
➢ To acquaint applicants with the various sources of Canadian law;
➢ To compare the different branches of Canadian government and to analyze the
relationships between and among them;
➢ To provide applicants with an understanding of the Canadian treaty-making process and
the implementation of international law into domestic law;
➢ To provide applicants with an understanding of the special relationship Aboriginal Peoples
have with the Canadian State, and to enable applicants to critically assess the impact of
the Canadian legal system upon Aboriginal and other minority communities;
➢ To provide applicants with an understanding of the nature and function of judicial review
and of the basic approaches to statutory interpretation.

EVALUATION:

Evaluation for this course is based on a 100% open book examination.

The exam will consist of short answer questions, and/or essay questions, and/or problem
questions, and/or multiple-choice questions.

Short answer questions and multiple-choice questions test candidates’ ability to

succinctly evaluate statements about material covered in the syllabus.
Essay questions test whether candidates have critically engaged with the material listed
in the syllabus and have started to form their own opinions about the strengths and
weaknesses of the arguments, principles, and doctrines discussed in those materials.
Problem questions test candidates’ ability to identify legal issues, accurately state the
applicable legal rules, apply those rules to novel situations, and draw conclusions
supported by analysis. In other words, problem questions require the exercise of
independent judgment grounded in the application of general rules to specific fact
situations.
CORE MATERIALS

1. Forcese, Dodek et al, Public Law: Cases, Commentary, and Analysis, Fourth Edition
(Toronto: Emond Montgomery, 2020). [Referred to below as “Forcese”.]
Public Law: Cases, Commentary, and Analysis, 4th Edition | Emond Publishing

2. Prescribed cases that are not included in the Forcese text are available free of charge
from CanLII: www.canlii.ca/

3. Prescribed articles that are not included in the Forcese text are available online free of
charge (website address is specified).

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

For those interested in reading further on these topics, you may wish to consult the following list
of sources, available at most Canadian law libraries:

Gerald Heckman. “International Human Rights Norms and the Substantive Review of
Administrative Decision-Making” (Chapter 14 of Flood and Daly, eds., Administrative Law
in Context, 4th Edition, Emond Montgomery 2021)
Eisenberg, M., The Nature of the Common Law, (Cambridge, Mass: HUP, 1991)
Fairlie, John, Introduction to Law in Canada, 3rd ed. (Toronto: Emond, 2023)
Forcese, Craig & Aaron Freeman. The Laws of Government: The Legal Foundations of
Canadian Democracy, 2nd Edition (Toronto: Irwin Law, 2011).
Forsey, Eugene A. How Canadians Govern Themselves, 10th ed. (Ottawa: Library of
Parliament, 2020): How Canadians govern themselves / Eugene A. Forsey.: X9-11/2020E-
PDF - Government of Canada Publications - Canada.ca

Sasha Baglay, Introduction to the Canadian Legal System, (Toronto: Pearson, 2015)
Hogg, Peter W. & Wade K. Wright. Constitutional Law of Canada, 2022 Student Edition
(Toronto: Carswell, 2022).
Justice Canada, “Canada’s System of Justice”: www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/
Schauer, F., Thinking Like a Lawyer: A New Introduction to Legal Reasoning, (Cambridge,
Mass: HUP, 2012)
Waddams, S.M., Introduction to the Study of Law, 8th Edition, (Toronto: Carswell, 2016)

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COMPONENTS:

1. Basic Theories of Law; Racism & the Law

Positivism and Natural Law

Feminist Perspectives on Law
Critical Legal Studies
Law and Economics

Required Readings:
• Forcese, Chapter 2
• R. v. Morris, 2021 ONCA 680
• 8573123 Canada Inc. v. Keele Sheppard Plaza Inc. 2021 ONCA 371
• R. v. Gladue [1999] 1 S.C.R.
• Michael Trebilcock, "Law and Economics" (1993) 16:2 Dal LJ 360, online:
https://digitalcommons.schulichlaw.dal.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1680&context=dlj
• Alyssa Clutterbuck, “Rethinking Baker: A Critical Race Feminist Theory of Disability”,
2015 20 Appeal: Review of Current Law and Law Reform 51, 2015 CanLIIDocs 49,
https://canlii.ca/t/6sx

2. Indigenous Peoples and the Law

Aboriginal Rights and Title

Indigenous Self-Government Aspirations
The Modern Treaty-Making Process

A. Required Readings:
• Forcese, Chapter 3
• Section 91(24) of The Constitution Act, 1867 (U.K.), 30 & 31 Victoria, c. 3
• Section 35 of The Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982
(U.K.), 1982, c. 11
• “Introduction” in Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission of Canada, Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future, pp. 1-21:
http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2015/trc/IR4-7-2015-eng.pdf
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples:
https://undocs.org/A/RES/61/295
• An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
https://parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/43-2/bill/C-15/royal-assent

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B. Required Readings Re - Indigenous Institutions and Self-Government:
• Douglas Sanderson, “Redressing the Right Wrong: The Argument from Corrective
Justice” (2011) 62 University of Toronto Law Journal 93
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1945380
• Indigenous Law Research Unit, Secwepémc Lands & Resources Law, Summary
https://ilru.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ILRU-SNTC-Lands-
Summary.compressed.pdf
• Reference to the Court of Appeal of Quebec in relation with the Act respecting First
Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, 2022 QCCA 185, (Unofficial
English Translation of the Court), pages 4-19, 120-192
https://courdappelduquebec.ca/fileadmin/Fichiers_client/Jugement/500-09-028751-
196_AVIS_final_EN.pdf

C. Required Readings Re - Aboriginal Title:

• Chippewas of the Thames First Nation v. Enbridge Pipelines, [2017] 1 SCR 1099
• Clyde River (Hamlet) v. Petroleum Geo‑Services Inc., 2017 SCC 40
• Mikisew Cree First Nation v. Canada (Governor General in Council), 2018 SCC
• Pastion v. Dene Tha’ First Nation, 2018 FC 648
• Nora Refai, “The Beaufort Sea Boundary Dispute: A Consideration of Rights of Inuit in
Canada and the United States” (2022) 60 Alberta Law Review 267
https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/www.albertalawreview.com/index.php/ALR/article/vi
ew/2717

D. Required Readings – Re - Aboriginal Title:

• Dwight Newman, “The Economic Characteristics of Indigenous Property Rights: A
Canadian Case Study” (2016) 95 Nebraska Law Review 432
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nlr/vol95/iss2/4/
• Newfoundland and Labrador (Attorney General) v. Uashaunnuat (Innu of Uashat and
of Mani Utenam), 2020 SCC 4
• Tsilhqot’in Nation v. British Columbia, 2014 SCC 44

E. Required Readings – Re - Aboriginal Treaties:

• Restoule v. Canada (Attorney General), 2021 ONCA 779, paras. 1-333, 360, 581-628
• Christina Gray and Hayden King, eds., “Treaty Interpretation in the Age of Restoule”
(Yellowhead Institute, May 2022) https://yellowheadinstitute.org/wp-
content/uploads/2022/05/Restoule-Special-Report-YI-May-2022.pdf

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3. Sources of Canadian Law

The Common Law and Civil Law Traditions

i. Reception of European Law
ii. Bijuralism
iii. Common Law Method: Precedent and Equity
Statutory Law
International Law

Required Readings:
• Forcese, Chapter 4

Civil Law and Common Law

• Grimard v. Canada [2009] FCA 47
• Reference re Supreme Court Act, ss. 5 and 6, 2014 SCC 21, [2014] 1 S.C.R. 433, paras.
1-12 and 72-107
Common Law Method, Stare Decisis, Equity
• Irit Samet-Porat, “Equity” in H Dagan and B Zipurskey, eds., Research Handbook in
Private Law Theories (2020)
https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/files/128732978/Equity_.Final.pdf
• S. Lewis, “On the Nature of Stare Decisis”
Forthcoming in Endicott, Kristjánsson, Lewis (eds), Philosophical Foundations of
Precedent OUP, 2023.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4059625

• T. Skolnik, "Precedent, Principles, and Presumptions" (2021) 54:3 UBC Law Review 935
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3992781

Common Law Method: Appellate Review

• Housen v Nikolaisen, 2002 SCC 33
https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/1972/index.do

International Law and the Domestic Legal Order

• Barnett, “Canada’s Approach to the Treaty-Making Process”, 2021, Library of Parliament
https://lop.parl.ca/staticfiles/PublicWebsite/Home/ResearchPublications/HillStudies/2008-
45-e.pdf

● Baker v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [1999] 2 S.C.R. 817 (read
headnote for factual context, read paras. 69-71, 78-81)
● R. v. Hape 2007 SCC 26, [2007] 2 SCR 292, (read paras. 1-56)
• Nevsun Resources Ltd. v. Araya, 2020 SCC 5, (read paras. 1-26; and 60-133)
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4. Fundamental Principles of the Canadian Legal System:

The Constitution of Canada

Principles Underpinning
Public Law
i. Rule of Law
ii. Constitutional Supremacy
iii. Parliamentary Sovereignty
iv. Federalism
v. Separation of Powers
vi. Judicial Independence (Overview)

Constitutional Amendment

Required Readings:
• Forcese, Chapter 5
Rule of Law
• Singh v. Canada (Attorney General), 2000 CanLII 17100 (F.C.A.), paras. 13-44
• Cass R Sunstein, “The Rule of Law”
https://ssrn.com/abstract=4405238

Constitutional Supremacy
• R. v. Sullivan, 2022 SCC 19
https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/2022/2022scc19/2022scc19.html

Separation of Powers
• Schmidt v. Canada (Attorney General), 2018 FCA 55 (CanLII)
https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/fca/doc/2018/2018fca55/2018fca55.html

• Reference re Code of Civil Procedure (Que.), art. 35, 2021 SCC 27

https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/18933/index.do

5. Parliament and its Components

The Monarch and Governor General

● Luke Beck, The Role of Religion in the Law of Royal Succession in Canada
and Australia (2017) 43:1 Queen’s LJ

Senate
● Joel I. Colón-Ríos and Allan C. Hutchinson, Constitutionalizing the Senate: A
Modest Democratic Proposal, (2015) 60:4 McGill LJ 500

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 House of Commons
Required Readings:
• Forcese, Chapter 6

6. Functions of Parliament

Summoning
Prorogation
Dissolution
Key Actors
Parliamentary Procedure and Law-Making

Required Readings:
• Forcese, Chapter 7
• Duffy v. Senate of Canada, 2020 ONCA 536
• Chagnon v. Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec, 2018 SCC 39
• Singh v. Attorney General of Quebec, 2018 QCCA 257
• Jennifer A. Klinck, Modernizing Judicial review of the Exercise of Prerogative Powers in
Canada, Alberta Law Review, (2017) 54:4

7. The Executive and its Functions

The Functions of the Executive

Sources of Executive Power
Executive Institutions and the Political Executive

Required Readings:
• Forcese, Chapter 8
• Walter v. British Columbia, 2019 BCCA 221 (CanLII), https://canlii.ca/t/j109v
• Tesla Motors Canada v. Ontario (Ministry of Transportation), 2018 ONSC 5062 (CanLII)
• Toronto v. Ontario (Attorney General), 2021 SCC 34
• Patrick F. Baud, “The Crown’s Prerogatives and the Constitution of Canada” (2021) 3
Journal of Commonwealth Law 219
https://www.journalofcommonwealthlaw.org/article/31330-the-crown-s-prerogatives-and-
the-constitution-of-canada
• Ontario (Attorney General) v. Clark, 2021 SCC 18 (CanLII), https://canlii.ca/t/jfnmp

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8. The Courts and the Judiciary

Structure of the Canadian Court System

Judicial Appointments
Judicial Independence

Required Readings:
• Forcese, Chapter 9
• Smith v. Canada (Attorney General), 2020 FC 629

9. Statutory Interpretation

Approaches to Interpretation
The Modern Approach to Interpretation

Required Readings:
• Forcese, Chapter 10, pp. 408-516
• Agrium v Orbis Engineering Field Services, 2022 ABCA 266
https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abca/doc/2022/2022abca266/2022abca266.html

• Sullivan, R. (2000). “The Plain Meaning Rule and Other Ways to Cheat at Statutory
Interpretation,” in E MacKay (ed.), Law and Certainty, Les Certitudes de Droit.
Ottawa: 2000

10. Constraints on Legislative and Administrative Action

Judicial Review in a Democratic Society

Judicial Review of Administrative Action

Required Readings:
• Forcese, Chapter 11
• Brown v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) 2020 FCA 130 (read paras. 1-23; and
136-149)
• Shuttleworth v. Ontario (Safety, Licensing Appeals and Standards Tribunals), 2019
ONCA 518
• Highwood Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Judicial Committee) v. Wall, 2018
SCC 26

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• Lorne Sossin, The Impact of Vavilov: Reasonableness and Vulnerability" Supreme Court
Law Review, 2nd Series, Volume 100 (2021) pp. 265-277
https://www.ontariocourts.ca/coa/en/ps/publications/impact-vavilov.pdf

• Mark Mancini, “The Promise of Habeas Corpus Post-Vavilov: The Principle of Legality”
(2022) 100:2 Canadian Bar Review pp. 223-253
https://cbr.cba.org/index.php/cbr/article/view/4768

• Teresa Scassa, “Administrative Law and the Governance of Automated Decision-Making:

A Critical Look at Canada’s Directive on Automated Decision-Making” (2021) 54:1
University of British Columbia Law Review, SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3722192

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