Top Ten Most Popular cases in Canada!!

The top 10 most consulted cases on CanLII in 2012:

1. Langevin, 2012 QCCS 613
2. Dunsmuir v. New Brunswick, 2008 SCC 9
3. Meads v. Meads, 2012 ABQB 571
4. Jones v. Tsige, 2012 ONCA 32
5. R. v. Oakes, 1986 CanLII 46 (SCC), [1986] 1 SCR 103
6. Bedford v. Canada, 2010 ONSC 4264
7. R. v. Grant, 2009 SCC 32
8. Reference re Secession of Quebec, 1998 CanLII 793 (SCC), [1998] 2 SCR 217
9. Baker v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), 1999 CanLII 699 (SCC), [1999] 2 SCR 817
10. Combined Air Mechanical Services Inc. v. Flesch, 2011 ONCA 764

These are big cases in Canadian Law and Canadian history. The Oakes test is derived case from #5 and is essential to all constitutional litigation. The Secession reference is great for those who love Canadian history and as well for ‘natural law’ buffs, as the Court sets out several ‘unwritten constitutional principles’. Hmmm.

Baker and Grant are both examples of the structural inequality which exist in Canadian society. The former is former live-in domestic worker Mavis Baker diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Major ramifications for Administrative law. The latter is R v. Grant – seminal reading for Criminal law. The Supreme Court described Mr. Grant as “a young black man”. Grant is stopped by a “general neighbourhood policing” unit. This is what they ask him:

 

Q.   Have you ever been arrested before?

A.   I got into some trouble about three years ago.

Q. Do you have anything on you that you shouldn’t?

A.   No. Well, I got a small bag of weed.

Q.   Where is it?

A.   It’s in my pocket.

Q.   Is that it?

A.   (Male puts his head down.) Yeah. Well, no.

 

Q.   Do you have other drugs on you?

A.   No, I just have the weed, that’s it.

Q.   Well, what is it that you have?

A.   I have a firearm.

 Happy Reading!