Canadian Courts: Evolving through the Charter

Building on the program's introductory classes on the Canadian justice system, this course requires students to take a second look at the Canadian justice system with particular emphasis on the post Charter period and the Supreme Court Judicial Review. Through the examination of post 1982 judicial decisions, students are asked to critically analyze the role of judicial review within the context of Canadian democratic legitimacy and examine the impact of the Charter on Canadian criminal law. Building on this analysis, students develop a perspective of the Supreme Court of Canada's evolutionary power expansion and identify an expected track for future decisions that will allow actors within the justice field to anticipate future court decision-making trends.