POLS 303 Lecture Notes - Parliamentary Sovereignty, Responsible Government
12 Oct 2012
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What was the role of the courts before the charter? o. Today, courts make decisions based on exciting things like abortion, etc. Prior to 1982, rights and the constitution were very much abstract and not written down. In the face of government, parliament is supreme. Power is concentrated in the hands of the executive in canada. Legislative and executive branch are subject to control by the prime minister of canada. Prime minister can fire/hire people based on bodily fluids, mood, etc. o. Separation of executive (president) and legislative (congress) branch. It"s not guaranteed and did not exist before 1982 constitution. Canada had no amending formula prior to 1982. After 1982, the fed and britain agreed to an amending formula that made it difficult for the constitution to be changed. Civil law in quebec is actually written down. The road to the confederation, as we understand it, comes from british territorial control. English law would replace the pre-existing french civil law.
