The Kook, the Chief, Some Strife and the Lawyers: William Aberhart and the Alberta References of 1938
Author ORCID Identifier
Richard Haigh: 0000-0002-2828-8566
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-2019
Source Publication
National Journal of Constitutional Law, 39(1), 1-33
Abstract
The article examines the two Alberta Reference cases that, to some extent, defined Premier William Aberhart: Reference re Dissolution and Reservation Power and the Reference re Alberta Statutes. It examines the political climate surrounding social credit, the larger-than-life persona of William Aberhart, and the decisions themselves. The author traces some key current practices in contemporary constitutional law to the two decisions: approaches to federal division of powers cases; unwritten principles; structural argumentation and use of evidentiary materials. The Statutes Reference, in particular, shows a Canadian Supreme Court willing to come out of the shadow of the Privy Council, embarking on a path and developing constitutional concepts that remain with us to this day.
French Abstract
Dans cet article, l'auteur s'interesse a deux renvois relatifs a l'Alberta qui, dans une certaine mesure, decrivaient le premier ministre William Aberhart : le renvoi relatif au pouvoir de dissolution et de reserve (Dissolution and Reservation Power) et le renvoi relatif aux lois de l'Alberta (Alberta Statutes). L'auteur analyse le contexte politique dans lequel s'inscrivent le credit social, la personnalite plus grande que nature de William Aberhart et les decisions elles-memes. L'auteur attribue l'origine de certaines des pratiques fondamentales actuellement employees en matiere de droit constitutionnel contemporain aux deux decisions : les approches Judiciaires concernant le regime federal de partage des competences, les principes non ecrits, l'argumentaire structurel et le recours a des elements de preuve. Tout particulierement, le renvoi relatif aux lois de l'Alberta fait ressortir la volonte de la Cour supreme du Canada de sortir de l'ombre du Conseil prive, emprunter une voie differente et developper des concepts constitutionnels qui demeurent en vigueur de nos Jours.
Repository Citation
Haigh, Richard, "The Kook, the Chief, Some Strife and the Lawyers: William Aberhart and the Alberta References of 1938" (2019). Articles & Book Chapters. 3038.
https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/scholarly_works/3038
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Catalogue Record
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