The Supreme Court and Public Law in 2023

Authors

Kate Glover Berger, Osgoode Hall Law School of York University

Abstract

This article discusses the Supreme Court of Canada’s public law judgments in 2023. It was the basis for the opening address at the 27th Annual Osgoode Hall Law School Constitutional Cases Conference. In the Conference’s tradition, this annual review is divided into two parts. The first part (Part II of the article, following Part I: Introduction) presents institutional and quantitative data about the Court’s work in 2023. It focuses on the composition of the Court, the historically low number of judgments released in 2023, rates of agreement and dissent, and the dominance of public law on the Court’s docket in 2023. The second part (Part III of the article) explores the substance of the 2023 public law judgments. It highlights three themes: the Court’s current understanding of constitutional structure; the Court’s approach to cases at the intersection of administrative and constitutional law; and the stability of analytical frameworks in public law matters. Overall, this discussion suggests that despite some anomalies in the Court’s operations, 2023 was characterized by a confident and steady approach to public law, an expansive view of the Constitution, and a traditional conception of the Court’s position within the constitutional order.

Citation Information

Glover Berger, Kate. "The Supreme Court and Public Law in 2023." The Supreme Court Law Review, Third Series: Osgoode's Annual Constitutional Cases Conference 5. (2026).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60082/2563-8505.1000
https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/sclr-third-series/vol5/iss1/1

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

References

1 This paper focuses on public law, rather than just constitutional cases because it better

reflects the interconnectedness of administrative, constitutional, and criminal law issues and  

gives a more complete account of the Court's vision of the public order as a whole. The number and nature of the cases that deal specifically with constitutional issues are identified and addressed throughout the paper, but within the discussion of broader public law themes and trends.

2 From 2023, the public law judgments are: R. v. S.S., [2023] S.C.J. No. 1, 2023 SCC 1  (S.C.C.); R. v. Hills, [2023] S.C.J. No. 2, 2023 SCC 2 (S.C.C.); R. v. Hilbach, [2023] S.C.J. No. 3, 2023 SCC 3 (S.C.C.); R. v. McGregor, [2023] S.C.J. No. 4, 2023 SCC 4 (S.C.C.); R. v. Metzger, [2023] S.C.J. No. 100, 2023 SCC 5 (S.C.C.); R. v. Downes, [2023] S.C.J. No. 6, 2023 SCC 6 (S.C.C.); R. v. Chatillon, [2023] S.C.J. No. 7, 2023 SCC 7 (S.C.C.); R. v. McColman, [2023] S.C.J. No. 8, 2023 SCC 8 (S.C.C.); R. v. Breault, [2023] S.C.J. No. 9, 2023 SCC 9 (S.C.C.); Murray-Hall v. Québec (Attorney General), [2023] S.C.J. No. 10, 2023 SCC 10 (S.C.C.); R. v. Haevischer, [2023] S.C.J. No. 11, 2023 SCC 11 (S.C.C.); R. v. Hanan, [2023] S.C.J. No. 101, 2023 SCC 12 (S.C.C.); Hansman v. Neufeld, [2023] S.C.J. No. 14, 2023 SCC 14 (S.C.C.); R. v. Hay, [2023] S.C.J. No. 15, 2023 SCC 15 (S.C.C.); Deans Knight Income Corp. v. Canada, [2023] S.C.J. No. 16, 2023 SCC 16 (S.C.C.); Canadian Council for Refugees v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), [2023] S.C.J. No. 17, 2023 SCC 17 (S.C.C.); R. v. Basque, [2023] S.C.J. No. 18, 2023 SCC 18 (S.C.C.); R. v. Abdullahi, [2023] S.C.J. No. 19, 2023 SCC 19 (S.C.C.); R. v. Kahsai, [2023] S.C.J. No. 20, 2023 SCC 20 https://doi.org/10.1080/14432471.2023.2202437 (S.C.C.); Mason v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), [2023] S.C.J. No. 21, 2023 SCC 21 (S.C.C.); La Presse Inc. v. Québec, [2023] S.C.J. No. 22, 2023 SCC 22 (S.C.C.); Reference re Impact Assessment Act, [2023] S.C.J. No. 23, 2023 SCC 23 (S.C.C.); R. v. Johnson, [2023] S.C.J. No. 24, 2023 SCC 24 (S.C.C.); R. v. Bertrand Marchand, [2023] S.C.J. No. 26, 2023 SCC 26 (S.C.C.); Canadian Broadcasting Corp. v. Manitoba, [2023] S.C.J. No. 102, 2023 SCC 27 (S.C.C.); R. v. Greater Sudbury (City), [2023] S.C.J. No. 28, 2023 SCC 28 (S.C.C.); Sharp v. Autorité des marchés financiers, [2023] S.C.J. No. 29, 2023 SCC 29 (S.C.C.); R. v. Zacharias, [2023] S.C.J. No. 30, 2023 SCC 30 (S.C.C.); R. v. B.E.M., [2023] S.C.J. No. 32, 2023 SCC 32 (S.C.C.); Commission scolaire francophone des Territoires du Nord-Ouest v. Northwest Territories (Education, Culture and Employment), [2023] S.C.J. No. 31, 2023 SCC 31 (S.C.C.) https://doi.org/10.1080/14432471.2023.2265557; R. v. Lindsay, [2023] S.C.J. No. 33, 2023 SCC 33 (S.C.C.); R. v. Lawlor, [2023] S.C.J. No. 34, 2023 SCC 34 (S.C.C.). From January to July 2024, the public law judgments are: R. v. Vu, [2024] S.C.C. No. 1, 2024 SCC 1 (S.C.C.); R. v. Landry, [2024] S.C.J. No. 2, 2024 SCC 2 (S.C.C.) R. v. Brunelle, [2024] S.C.J. No. 3, 2024 SCC 3 (S.C.C.); Ontario (Attorney General) v. Ontario (Information and Privacy Commissioner), [2024] S.C.J. No. 4, 2024 SCC 4 (S.C.C.); Reference re An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, [2024] S.C.J. No. 5, 2024 SCC 5 (S.C.C.); R. v. Bykovets, [2024] S.C.J. No. 6, 2024 SCC 6 (S.C.C.); R. v. Kruk, [2024] S.C.J. No. 7, 2024 SCC 7 (S.C.C.) https://doi.org/10.62627/PPE.2024.026 ; Yatar v. TD Insurance Meloche Monnex, [2024] S.C.J. No. 8, 2024 SCC 8 (S.C.C.); R. v. Boudreau, [2024] S.C.J. No. 9, 2024 SCC 9 (S.C.C.); Dickson v. Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, [2024] S.C.J. No. 10, 2024 SCC 10 (S.C.C.); Shot Both Sides v. Canada, [2024] S.C.J. No. 12, 2024 SCC 12 (S.C.C.); Société des casinos du Québec inc. v. Association des cadres de la Société des casinos du Québec, [2024] S.C.J. No. 13, 2024 SCC 13 (S.C.C.); R. v. D.F., [2024] S.C.J. No. 14, 2024 SCC 14 (S.C.C.); R. v. Edwards, [2024] S.C.J. No. 15, 2024 SCC 15 (S.C.C.); R. v. Tayo Tompouba, [2024] S.C.J. No. 16, 2024 SCC 16 (S.C.C.); R. v. Lozada, [2024] S.C.J. No. 18, 2024 SCC 18 (S.C.C.); R. v. T.W.W., [2024] S.C.J. No. 19, 2024 SCC 19 (S.C.C.); Canadian Broadcasting Corp. v. Named Person, [2024] S.C.J. No. 21, 2024 SCC 21 (S.C.C.); York Region District School Board v. Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, [2024] S.C.J. No. 22, 2024 SCC 22 (S.C.C.); Iris Technologies Inc. v. Canada, [2024] S.C.J. No. 24, 2024 SCC 24 (S.C.C.); Dow Chemical Canada ULC v. Canada, [2024] S.C.J. No. 23, 2024 SCC 23 (S.C.C.); R. v. Hodgson, [2024] S.C.J. No. 100, 2024 SCC 25 (S.C.C.); Canada (Attorney General) v. Power, [2024] S.C.J. No. 26, 2024 SCC 26 (S.C.C.); Ontario (Attorney General) v. Restoule, [2024] S.C.J. No. 27, 2024 SCC 27 (S.C.C.).

3 See e.g., Commission scolaire francophone des Territoires du Nord-Ouest v. Northwest Territories (Education, Culture and Employment), [2023] S.C.J. No. 31, 2023 SCC 31 (S.C.C.) [hereinafter "Commission scolaire"]; R. v. Hills, [2023] S.C.J. No. 2, 2023 SCC 2 (S.C.C.) [hereinafter "Hills"]; R. v. Hilbach, [2023] S.C.J. No. 3, 2023 SCC 3 (S.C.C.) [hereinafter "Hillbach"].

4 See e.g., Commission scolaire (S.C.C.) and Sharp v. Autorité des marchés financiers, [2023] S.C.J. No. 29, 2023 SCC 29 (S.C.C.) [hereinafter "Sharp"].

5 Reference re Impact Assessment Act, [2023] S.C.J. No. 23, 2023 SCC 23 (S.C.C.) [hereinafter "IAA Reference"]. The other division of powers case was Murray-Hall v. Québec (Attorney General), [2023] S.C.J. No. 10, 2023 SCC 10 (S.C.C.).

6 Canadian Council for Refugees v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), [2023] S.C.J. No. 17, 2023 SCC 17 (S.C.C.) [hereinafter "CCR"].

7 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (U.K.), 1982, c.11 [hereinafter the "Charter"].

8 Nationally, see e.g., Peter Zimonjic, "Supreme Court Justice Russell Brown is on a leave of absence", CBC News (February 27, 2023) online: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/justice-supreme-court-brown-1.6761989 ; Sean Fine, "Supreme Court Justice Russell Brown resigns before start of inquiry into alleged harassment", Globe & Mail (June 12, 2023), online: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-justice-russell-brown-resignation-supreme-court/ ; Christopher Nardi, "Supreme Court Justice Russell Brown resigns amid probe into altercation, citing 'strain' and length of investigation", National Post (June 12, 2023), online: https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/supreme-court-justice-russell-brown-resigns . Inter nationally, see e.g., Business Insider, "Canada Supreme Court judge Russell Brown under investigation after fight at US resort", South China Morning Post (March 11, 2023), online: https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3213185/canada-supreme-court-judge-russell-brown-under-investigation-after-fight-us-resort ; Chloe Kim, "Canadian Supreme Court judge on leave after Arizona resort altercation", BBC News (March 15, 2023), online: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64955559; Brian Platt, "Supreme Court Judge Quits in Canada Over Alleged Drunken Incident at Arizona Spa", Bloomberg.com (June 12, 2023), online: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-12/supreme-court-justice-resigns-in-canada-over-alleged-misconduct?embedded-checkout=true ; Reuters in Ottawa, "Canada: top judge investigated over alleged drunken fight steps down", The Guardian (June 12, 2023), online: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/12/canadian-supreme-court-judge-russell-brown .

9 There have been retirements and appointments in eight of the last ten years (between 2014 and 2023, inclusive). See Supreme Court of Canada, "Current and Former Judges", Supreme Court of Canada (last modified November 6, 2023), online: https://www.scc-csc.ca/judges-juges/cfpju-jupp-eng.aspx . For discussion of some recent retirements, appointments, and transitions, see e.g., Sonia Lawrence, "2013: Constitutional Cases in Review" (2014) 67 S.C.L.R. (2d) 3; Jamie Cameron, "Law, Politics and Legacy Building at the McLachlin Court in 2014" (2015) 71 S.C.L.R. (2d) 3 at 19-24; Lorne Sossin, "Constitutional Cases 2015: An Overview" (2016) 76 S.C.L.R. (2d) 1 at 20-24; Benjamin L. Berger, Sonia Lawrence & Spiros Vavougios, "Constitutional Cases 2016: An Overview" (2017) 81 S.C.L.R. (2d) xli at xliv-xvlii https://doi.org/10.60082/2563-8505.1344; Jamie Cameron, "A Chief and Court in Transition: The Wagner Court and the Constitution" (2020) 94 S.C.L.R. (2d) 3 at 3-5.

10 The circumstances of Justice Brown's leave and resignation were covered in detail in last year's Year in Review: Jamie Cameron, "The Constitution and Charter in 2022: The Court, the Chief Justice, and Justice Brown" (2024) 115 S.C.L.R. (2d) 3.

11 For example, IAA Reference (S.C.C.); Dickson v. Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, [2024] S.C.J. No. 10, 2024 SCC 10 (S.C.C.); and Ontario (Attorney General) v. Ontario (Information and Privacy Commissioner), [2024] S.C.J. No. 4, 2024 SCC 4 (S.C.C.) [hereinafter the "Ontario Mandate Letter Case"].

12 R. v. McGregor, [2023] S.C.J. No. 4, 2023 SCC 4 (S.C.C.); R. v. Downes, [2023] S.C.J. No. 6, 2023 SCC 6 (S.C.C.); R. v. McColman, [2023] S.C.J. No. 8, 2023 SCC 8 (S.C.C.); R. v. Breault, [2023] S.C.J. No. 9, 2023 SCC 9 (S.C.C.) [hereinafter "Breault"]; Murray-Hall v. Québec (Attorney General), [2023] S.C.J. No. 10, 2023 SCC 10 (S.C.C.); R. v. Haevischer, [2023] S.C.J. No. 11, 2023 SCC 11 (S.C.C.); Deans Knight Income Corp. v. Canada, [2023] S.C.J. No. 16, 2023 SCC 16 (S.C.C.).

13 Justice Côté wrote a solo dissent in Deans Knight Income Corp. v. Canada, [2023] S.C.J. No. 16, 2023 SCC 16 (S.C.C.).

14 CCR (S.C.C.); R. v. Basque, [2023] S.C.J. No. 18, 2023 SCC 18 (S.C.C.); R. v. Abdullahi, [2023] S.C.J. No. 19, 2023 SCC 19 (S.C.C.); Mason v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), [2023] S.C.J. No. 21, 2023 SCC 21 (S.C.C.) [hereinafter "Mason"]; Ponce v. Société d'investissements Rhéaume ltée, [2023] S.C.J. No. 25, 2023 SCC 25 (S.C.C.); R. v. Greater Sudbury (City), [2023] S.C.J. No. 28, 2023 SCC 28 (S.C.C.) [hereinafter "Greater Sudbury"]; Sharp (S.C.C.).; Reference re An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, [2024] S.C.J. No. 5, 2024 SCC 5 (S.C.C.). 15 CCR (S.C.C.); R. v. Basque, [2023] S.C.J. No. 18, 2023 SCC 18 (S.C.C.); Ponce v. Société d'investissements Rhéaume ltée, [2023] S.C.J. No. 25, 2023 SCC 25 (S.C.C.); Reference re An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, [2024] S.C.J. No. 5, 2024 SCC 5 (S.C.C.).

16 R. v. Abdullahi, [2023] S.C.J. No. 19, 2023 SCC 19 (S.C.C.); Mason (S.C.C.); Sharp (S.C.C.).

17 Greater Sudbury (S.C.C.).

18 Greater Sudbury (S.C.C.). The hearing was held on October 12, 2022; the judgment was released on November 10, 2023.

19 Jamie Cameron, "The Constitution and Charter in 2022: The Court, the Chief Justice, and Justice Brown" (2024) 115 S.C.L.R. (2d) 3. https://doi.org/10.60082/2563-8505.1443

20 Judges Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. J-1, s. 411(1), provides: "A judge of the Supreme Court of Canada who has retired may, with the approval of the Chief Justice of Canada, continue to participate in judgments in which he or she participated before retiring, for a period not greater than six months after the date of the retirement".

21 As set out in Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments, Report on the 2023 Process (Canada: November 29, 2023), online: https://www.fja.gc.ca/scc-csc/2023/report-rapport-eng.html, the Prime Minister opened the appointment process by News Release on June 20, 2023. The deadline for applicants was July 21, 2023. The Advisory Board was announced on August 11, 2023. The Board's report was submitted to the Prime Minister on September 8, 2023. The nomination of Moreau J. was announced on October 26, 2023. The Chair of the Advisory Board and the Minister of Justice appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, and there was a public session with Moreau J., on November 2, 2023. Justice Moreau officially joined the Court on November 6, 2023. As has been recommended in the past, the 2023 Advisory Board recommended steps to be taken to avoid future delays in the appointment of judges to the Court.

22 See Supreme Court of Canada, "The Honourable Mary T. Moreau" (Canada: last modified on March 5, 2024), online: https://www.scc-csc.ca/judges-juges/bio-eng.aspx?id=mary-t-moreau . The two cases in which Moreau J. was involved were Mahe v. Alberta, [1990] S.C.J. No. 19, [1990] 1 S.C.R. 342 (S.C.C.) and R. v. Paquette, [1990] S.C.J. No. 99, [1990] 2 S.C.R. 1103 (S.C.C.) https://doi.org/10.2307/29740280.

23 R. v. Lindsay, [2023] S.C.J. No. 33, 2023 SCC 33 (S.C.C.); R. v. Lawlor, [2023] S.C.J. No. 34, 2023 SCC 34 (S.C.C.) https://doi.org/10.29296/25877305-2023-06.

24 R. v. Bykovets, [2024] S.C.J. No. 6, 2024 SCC 6 (S.C.C.); Canadian Broadcasting Corp. v. Named Person, [2024] S.C.J. No. 21, 2024 SCC 21 (S.C.C.); Canada (Attorney General) v. Power, [2024] S.C.J. No. 26, 2024 SCC 26 (S.C.C.); Yatar v. TD Insurance Meloche Monnex, [2024] S.C.J. No. 8, 2024 SCC 8 (S.C.C.); Eurobank Ergasias S.A. v. Bombardier inc., [2024] S.C.J. No. 11, 2024 SCC 11 (S.C.C.); Ontario (Attorney General) v. Restoule, [2024] S.C.J. No. 27, 2024 SCC 27 (S.C.C.); R. v. T.W.W., [2024] S.C.J. No. 19, 2024 SCC 19 (S.C.C.).

25 R. v. T.W.W., [2024] S.C.J. No. 19, 2024 SCC 19 (S.C.C.).

26 Author of R. v. Lozada, [2024] S.C.J. No. 18, 2024 SCC 18 (S.C.C.). Co-author (with Martin J.) in R. v. Hodgson, [2024] S.C.J. No. 100, 2024 SCC 25 (S.C.C.).

27 R. v. Vu, [2024] S.C.C. No. 1, 2024 SCC 1 (S.C.C.); R. v. Landry, [2024] S.C.J. No. 2, 2024 SCC 2 (S.C.C.); R. v. D.F., [2024] S.C.J. No. 14, 2024 SCC 14 (S.C.C.).

28 Ellen Anderson, Judging Bertha Wilson: Law As Large As Life (Toronto: Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History with University of Toronto Press, 2001); Kim Brooks, ed., Justice Bertha Wilson: One Woman's Difference (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2010).

29 Justices L'Heureux-Dubé (1987), McLachlin (1989, appointed Chief Justice in 2000), Arbour (1999), Deschamps (2022), Charron (2004), Abella (2004), Karakatsanis (2011), Côté (2014), Martin (2017), O'Bonsawin (2022), and Moreau (2023). See Supreme Court of Canada, "Current and Former Judges", Supreme Court of Canada (last modified November 6, 2023), online: https://www.scc-csc.ca/judges-juges/cfpju-jupp-eng.aspx.

30 Namely, Wagner C.J.C., and Karakatsanis, Côté, Jamal and O'Bonsawin JJ. Justice O'Bonsawin will have 27 years of experience at the Court if she stays until mandatory retirement.

31 See e.g., Canadian Constitution Foundation, "Campaign for Term Limits for Supreme Court of Canada Judges Launches", Press Release (November 12, 2013), online: https://theccf.ca/press-release-campaign-for-term-limits-for-supreme-court-of-canada-judges-lauches/ ; Philip Slayton, "Limit SCC judges' terms to 18 years", Canadian Lawyer (May 7, 2012), online: https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/opinion/limit-scc-judges-terms-to-18-years/268586 ; Alicia Bannon & Michael Milov-Cordoba, "Supreme Court Term Limits", Brennan Center for Justice (June 20, 2023), online: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/policy-solutions/supreme-court-term-limits.

32 See e.g., Mariam Moktar, "If Canada is Diverse, Why Isn't Its Highest Court?" in Ontario Bar Association, Just Magazine (May 31, 2022), online: https://www.oba.org/JUST/The-Community/2022/May-2022/If-Canada-Is-Diverse-Why-Isnt-Its-Highest-Court ; Francois Larocque & Stéphanie Chouinard, "Bilingualism and diversity: The Supreme Court can - and should - have both" in The Conversation (June 2, 2021), online: https://theconversation.com/bilingualism-and-diversity-the-supreme-court-can-and-should-have-both-161859 ; Janani Shanmuganathan, Richa Sandill & Annie Tayyab, "Canada's Supreme Court already requires diversity. Why not racial diversity too?" in The Globe and Mail (June 1, 2021).

33 The Supreme Court released 34 judgments in 2023. Two of these judgments dealt with two combined appeals. For this reason, the Supreme Court's "Year in Review" states that the Court "decided 36 appeals" in 2023: Supreme Court of Canada, "2023 Year in Review" (Ottawa: Supreme Court of Canada, 2024), see online: https://www.scc-csc.ca/review-revue/2023/index-eng.html  [hereinafter "SCC 2023 Review"]. The data presented in this paper, including the comparative data, refer to the number of judgments released (consistent with the number of judgments listed on the Supreme Court's "Judgments" website and published in the Supreme Court Reports) and not to "appeals decided".

34 For the purposes of this paper, the Court's "modern era" refers to the era after 1949, with the end of all appeals to the Privy Council and with the Court truly taking up the task of being Canada's final appellate court.

35 Supreme Court of Canada, "Supreme Court Judgments-1947", see online: https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/1947/nav_date.do.

36 Supreme Court of Canada, "Supreme Court Judgments-1884", see online: https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/1884/nav_date.do.

37 Supreme Court of Canada, "Supreme Court Judgments-1990", see online: https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/1990/nav_date.do; Sean Rehaag, "Supreme Court of Canada Bulk Decisions Dataset", Refugee Law Laboratory (2023), see online: https://refugeelab.ca/bulk-data/scc.

38 These trends were seen in analyzing the data collected and available at: Sean Rehaag, "Supreme Court of Canada Bulk Decisions Dataset", Refugee Law Laboratory (2023), see online: https://refugeelab.ca/bulk-data/scc.

39 Supreme Court of Canada, "Supreme Court Judgments-1990", see online: https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/1990/nav_date.do.

40 Supreme Court of Canada, "2022 Year in Review", see online: https://www.scc-csc.ca/review-revue/2022/2022-Numbers-Statistiques-eng.html [hereinafter "SCC 2022 Review"], at "2022 By The Numbers: Average Time of Process Leading to Judgment in months".

41 SCC 2022 Review, at "2022 By The Numbers: Average Time of Process Leading to Judgment in months".

42 That said, the number of notices of appeal as of right in 2020, 2021, and 2022 were quite high, and so, adding those appeals to the cases in which leave was granted, the number of cases needing to be decided in 2023 and surrounding years was not abnormally light. For this data, see SCC 2023 Review, at "Breakdown of Cases Filed at the Court" and "Breakdown of Appeals Heard".

43 SCC 2023 Review, at "Timing, Number of Hearing Days".

44 In addition, the Court was not overburdened by demands in deciding applications for leave to appeal in 2023. In 2023, the Court received 523 applications for leave and 10 notices as appeals of right. The number of applications filed is up compared to the past few years, but it is still on the low end of normal. There's nothing obviously onerous about this. It is of note, however, that in 2023, quite a low number of notices of appeal as of right came into the Court. In 2023, there were ten such notices filed. This is compared to an average of 21 per year in the preceding nine years. Exploring the reasons for this is beyond the scope of this paper but is an interesting question for sociolegal scholars and political scientists. The data for these observations is found in SCC 2023 Review, at "Breakdown of Cases Filed at the Court" and "Breakdown of Appeals Heard".

45 Observations about quiet years at the Court have been made in past versions of this annual review. See e.g., Benjamin L. Berger, Sonia Lawrence & Spiros Vavougios, "Constitutional Cases 2016: An Overview" (2017) 81 S.C.L.R. (2d) xli https://doi.org/10.60082/2563-8505.1344; Jamie Cameron, "A Chief and Court in Transition: The Wagner Court and the Constitution" (2020) 94 S.C.L.R. (2d) 3 https://doi.org/10.60082/2563-8505.1374. In 2024, between January and the end of July, the Court has already released 27 judgments for the year, perhaps putting the Court on track for a number of judgments closer to the nine-year preceding average (2014-2022) of 63 judgments released (calculated based on the data available in SCC 2023 Review, at "Outcomes of Appeals Decided"). Further, we may also be on track for a boom year in the near future of the Court, whether part of a pattern of increased output or as a spike in the numbers. Looking at the number of cases that are put into processing, that is, put in for scheduling, at the Court each year, and then compare that to the number of judgments released in the following year - there seems to be a meaningful deficit of cases each year that gets carried forward (See data in the SCC 2023 Review). There is potential for that deficit to be addressed in the coming years, especially if we see a stable court over the next few years.

46 R. v. McGregor, [2023] S.C.J. No. 4, 2023 SCC 4 (S.C.C.); R. v. Downes, [2023] S.C.J. No. 6, 2023 SCC 6 (S.C.C.); R. v. McColman, [2023] S.C.J. No. 8, 2023 SCC 8 (S.C.C.); Breault (S.C.C.); Murray-Hall v. Québec (Attorney General), [2023] S.C.J. No. 10, 2023 SCC 10 (S.C.C.); R. v. Haevischer, [2023] S.C.J. No. 11, 2023 SCC 11 (S.C.C.); R. v. Hanan, [2023] S.C.J. No. 101, 2023 SCC 12 (S.C.C.)

https://doi.org/10.13109/leid.2023.12.3.101; R. v. Hay, [2023] S.C.J. No. 15, 2023 SCC 15 https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-85541-9.02001-0; (S.C.C.); CCR (S.C.C.); R. v. Basque, [2023] S.C.J. No. 18, 2023 SCC 18 (S.C.C.); R. v. Kahsai, [2023] S.C.J. No. 20, 2023 SCC 20 (S.C.C.); Mason (S.C.C.); La Presse Inc. v. Québec, [2023] S.C.J. No. 22, 2023 SCC 22 (S.C.C.); R. v. Johnson, [2023] S.C.J. No. 24, 2023 SCC 24 (S.C.C.); Canadian Broadcasting Corp. v. Manitoba, [2023] S.C.J. No. 102, 2023 SCC 27 (S.C.C.); Commission scolaire (S.C.C.); R. v. B.E.M., [2023] S.C.J. No. 32, 2023 SCC 32 (S.C.C.); R. v. Lindsay, [2023] S.C.J. No. 33, 2023 SCC 33 (S.C.C.); Ponce v. Société d'investissements Rhéaume ltée, [2023] S.C.J. No. 25, 2023 SCC 25 (S.C.C.); Anderson v. Anderson, [2023] S.C.J. No. 13, 2023 SCC 13 (S.C.C.).https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035302130.00005

47 R. v. S.S., [2023] S.C.J. No. 1, 2023 SCC 1 (S.C.C.); Hills (S.C.C.); Hillbach (S.C.C.); R. v. Metzger, [2023] S.C.J. No. 100, 2023 SCC 5 (S.C.C.); R. v. Chatillon, [2023] S.C.J. No. 7, 2023 SCC 7 (S.C.C.) [hereinafter "Chatillon"]; Hansman v. Neufeld, [2023] S.C.J. No. 14, 2023 SCC 14 (S.C.C.) [hereinafter "Habnsmen"]; Deans Knight Income Corp. v. Canada, [2023] S.C.J. No. 16, 2023 SCC 16 (S.C.C.) https://doi.org/10.1353/thr.2023.a903922; R. v. Abdullahi, [2023] S.C.J. No. 19, 2023 SCC 19 (S.C.C.); IAA Reference (S.C.C.); R. v. Bertrand Marchand, [2023] S.C.J. No. 26, 2023 SCC 26 (S.C.C.); Greater Sudbury (S.C.C.); Sharp (S.C.C.); R. v. Zacharias, [2023] S.C.J. No. 30, 2023 SCC 30 (S.C.C.); R. v. Lawlor, [2023] S.C.J. No. 34, 2023 SCC 34 (S.C.C.)

48 SCC 2022 Review, at "Percentage of Unanimous Decisions".

49 SCC 2022 Review, at "Percentage of Unanimous Decisions".

50 SCC 2022 Review, at "Percentage of Unanimous Decisions".

51 Mason (S.C.C.); R. v. McGregor, [2023] S.C.J. No. 4, 2023 SCC 4 (S.C.C.).

52 Greater Sudbury (S.C.C.).

53 R. v. Zacharias, [2023] S.C.J. No. 30, 2023 SCC 30 (S.C.C.); Hillbach (S.C.C.).

54 Vanessa MacDonnell explores Côté J.'s record of dissent in Vanessa A. MacDonnell, "Justice Suzanne Côté's Reputation as a Dissenter on the Supreme Court of Canada" (2018) 88 S.C.L.R. (2d) 47.

55 Hills (S.C.C.); R. v. Metzger, [2023] S.C.J. No. 100, 2023 SCC 5 (S.C.C.); Chatillon (S.C.C.); Hansman (S.C.C.); Deans Knight Income Corp. v. Canada, [2023] S.C.J. No. 16, 2023 SCC 16 (S.C.C.); R. v. Abdullahi, [2023] S.C.J. No. 19, 2023 SCC 19 (S.C.C.); R. v. Bertrand Marchand, [2023] S.C.J. No. 26, 2023 SCC 26 (S.C.C.); Greater Sudbury (S.C.C.); Sharp (S.C.C.).

56 Justice O'Bonsawin signed on to Côté J.'s dissenting reasons in R. v. Metzger, [2023] S.C.J. No. 100, 2023 SCC 5 (S.C.C.).

57 Hillbach (S.C.C.); Mason (S.C.C.); R. v. Zacharias, [2023] S.C.J. No. 30, 2023 SCC 30 (S.C.C.).

58 See earlier patterns of this approach in Vanessa A. MacDonnell, "Justice Suzanne Côté's Reputation as a Dissenter on the Supreme Court of Canada" (2018) 88 S.C.L.R. (2d) 47 https://doi.org/10.60082/2563-8505.1360.

59 Justice Karakatsanis dissented in 3 cases; Justice Martin dissented in 1 case; Justices Rowe, Kasirer, Jamal and O'Bonsawin dissented in 2 cases, and the Chief Justice along with Justices Brown and Moreau did not dissent in any of the judgments released in 2023.

60 Murray-Hall v. Québec (Attorney General), [2023] S.C.J. No. 10, 2023 SCC 10 (S.C.C.); La Presse Inc. v. Québec, [2023] S.C.J. No. 22, 2023 SCC 22 (S.C.C.); IAA Reference (S.C.C.); R. v. McColman, [2023] S.C.J. No. 8, 2023 SCC 8 (S.C.C.) (with O'Bonsawin J.) and Sharp (S.C.C.) (with Jamal J.). He also delivered oral reasons in R. v. S.S., [2023] S.C.J. No. 1, 2023 SCC 1 (S.C.C.); Chatillon (S.C.C.); R. v. Hay, [2023] S.C.J. No. 15, 2023 SCC 15 (S.C.C.).

61 Gerard Kennedy has also noted this and explored it further in terms of subject matter: Gerard Kennedy, "Twenty-Seven Reserved Judgments: 2023 at the Supreme Court of Canada" (2024) 1 S.C.L.R. (3d) 345. Twenty-seven of the 34 judgments released in 2023 involved written reasons. When presenting data on authorship of majority opinions, this paper focuses on those 27.

62 Gerard Kennedy, "Twenty-Seven Reserved Judgments: 2023 at the Supreme Court of Canada" (2024) 1 S.C.L.R. (3d) 345.

63 The Chief Justice and Justice O'Bonsawin co-wrote R. v. McColman, [2023] S.C.J. No. 8, 2023 SCC 8 (S.C.C.). The Chief Justice and Justice Jamal co-wrote Sharp (S.C.C.). Justices Rowe and Côté co-wrote R. v. Hanan, [2023] S.C.J. No. 101, 2023 SCC 12 (S.C.C.). Justices Rowe and O'Bonsawin co-wrote R. v. Zacharias, [2023] S.C.J. No. 30, 2023 SCC 30 (S.C.C.).

64 Canadian Broadcasting Corp. v. Manitoba, [2023] S.C.J. No. 102, 2023 SCC 27 (S.C.C.).

65 R. v. McGregor, [2023] S.C.J. No. 4, 2023 SCC 4 (S.C.C.; Breault (S.C.C.); Commission scolaire (S.C.C.).

66 R. v. Hanan, [2023] S.C.J. No. 101, 2023 SCC 12 (S.C.C.).

67 Hillbach (S.C.C.); Mason (S.C.C.); R. v. Zacharias, [2023] S.C.J. No. 30, 2023 SCC 30 (S.C.C.).

68 Hills (S.C.C.); R. v. Metzger, [2023] S.C.J. No. 100, 2023 SCC 5 (S.C.C.); Chatillon (S.C.C.); Hansman (S.C.C.); Deans Knight Income Corp. v. Canada, [2023] S.C.J. No. 16, 2023 SCC 16 (S.C.C.); R. v. Abdullahi, [2023] S.C.J. No. 19, 2023 SCC 19 (S.C.C.); R. v. Bertrand Marchand, [2023] S.C.J. No. 26, 2023 SCC 26 (S.C.C.); Greater Sudbury (S.C.C.); Sharp (S.C.C.). Note that Justice Côté dissented in nine appeals but the judgment in Chatillion (S.C.C.) was delivered from the bench and no written reasons were produced.

69 R. v. McColman, [2023] S.C.J. No. 8, 2023 SCC 8 (S.C.C.); R. v. Zacharias, [2023] S.C.J. No. 30, 2023 SCC 30 (S.C.C.).

70 Greater Sudbury (S.C.C.).

71 That said, all of the disagreement between the judgments, both in the result and in the reasoning, took place in public law cases. The two private law judgments released in 2023 were unanimous in result and reasoning.

72 Hills (S.C.C.); Hillbach (S.C.C.); R. v. Bertrand Marchand, [2023] S.C.J. No. 26, 2023 SCC 26 (S.C.C.); R. v. McGregor, [2023] S.C.J. No. 4, 2023 SCC 4 (S.C.C.; R. v. Zacharias, [2023] S.C.J. No. 30, 2023 SCC 30 (S.C.C.) R. v. McColman, [2023] S.C.J. No. 8, 2023 SCC 8 (S.C.C.); R. v. Hanan, [2023] S.C.J. No. 101, 2023 SCC 12 (S.C.C.); R. v. Kahsai, [2023] S.C.J. No. 20, 2023 SCC 20 (S.C.C.) R. v. Haevischer, [2023] S.C.J. No. 11, 2023 SCC 11 (S.C.C.).

73 Murray-Hall v. Québec (Attorney General), [2023] S.C.J. No. 10, 2023 SCC 10 (S.C.C.); IAA Reference (S.C.C.).

74 CCR (S.C.C.); Commission scolaire (S.C.C.).

75 Hansman (S.C.C.).

76 Canadian Broadcasting Corp. v. Manitoba, [2023] S.C.J. No. 102, 2023 SCC 27 (S.C.C.); La Presse Inc. v. Québec, [2023] S.C.J. No. 22, 2023 SCC 22 (S.C.C.).

77 Sharp (S.C.C.).

78 The 2024 judgments already include several major judgments in cases dealing with Aboriginal law: Reference re An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, [2024] S.C.J. No. 5, 2024 SCC 5 (S.C.C.); Dickson v. Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, [2024] S.C.J. No. 10, 2024 SCC 10 (S.C.C.); Shot Both Sides v. Canada, [2024] S.C.J. No. 12, 2024 SCC 12 (S.C.C.); Ontario (Attorney General) v. Restoule, [2024] S.C.J. No. 27, 2024 SCC 27 (S.C.C.).

79 R. v. S.S., [2023] S.C.J. No. 1, 2023 SCC 1 (S.C.C.); R. v. Metzger, [2023] S.C.J. No. 100, 2023 SCC 5 (S.C.C.); R. v. Downes, [2023] S.C.J. No. 6, 2023 SCC 6 (S.C.C.); Chatillon (S.C.C.); R. v. Hay, [2023] S.C.J. No. 15, 2023 SCC 15 (S.C.C.); R. v. Basque, [2023] S.C.J. No. 18, 2023 SCC 18 (S.C.C.); R. v. Abdullahi, [2023] S.C.J. No. 19, 2023 SCC 19 (S.C.C.); R. v. Johnson, [2023] S.C.J. No. 24, 2023 SCC 24 (S.C.C.); R. v. B.E.M., [2023] S.C.J. No. 32, 2023 SCC 32 (S.C.C.); R. v. Lindsay, [2023] S.C.J. No. 33, 2023 SCC 33 (S.C.C.); R. v. Lawlor, [2023] S.C.J. No. 34, 2023 SCC 34 (S.C.C.); Breault (S.C.C.).

80 Deans Knight Income Corp. v. Canada, [2023] S.C.J. No. 16, 2023 SCC 16 (S.C.C.).

81 Mason (S.C.C.).

82 Greater Sudbury (S.C.C.).

83 See e.g., Breault (S.C.C.).

84 R. v. S.S., [2023] S.C.J. No. 1, 2023 SCC 1 (S.C.C.); Chatillon (S.C.C.); R. v. Hay, [2023] S.C.J. No. 15, 2023 SCC 15 (S.C.C.) R. v. Johnson, [2023] S.C.J. No. 24, 2023 SCC 24 (S.C.C.); R. v. B.E.M., [2023] S.C.J. No. 32, 2023 SCC 32 (S.C.C.); R. v. Lindsay, [2023] S.C.J. No. 33, 2023 SCC 33 (S.C.C.) R. v. Lawlor, [2023] S.C.J. No. 34, 2023 SCC 34 (S.C.C.) https://doi.org/10.29296/25877305-2023-06. Three additional cases were decided from the bench but written reasons followed: R. v. Metzger, [2023] S.C.J. No. 100, 2023 SCC 5 (S.C.C.); R. v. Hanan, [2023] S.C.J. No. 101, 2023 SCC 12 (S.C.C.) https://doi.org/10.5771/2193-0147-2023-2-100; Canadian Broadcasting Corp. v. Manitoba, [2023] S.C.J. No.102, 2023 SCC 27 (S.C.C.).

85 By focusing on trends, this analysis is inevitably selective in coverage and it does not discuss some of the most prominent cases from the year, such as the IAA Reference (S.C.C.) and CCR (S.C.C.). Fortunately, these cases are the subject of much discussion in other papers in this collection. Their exclusion from the discussion here is not a reflection or assessment of their significance, whether constitutionally, politically, societally, or for the individuals directly affected.

86 See e.g., Commission scolaire (S.C.C.); Mason (S.C.C.); Hansman (S.C.C.); Sharp (S.C.C.); IAA Reference (S.C.C.); Ontario Mandate Letter Case (S.C.C.); Dickson v. Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, [2024] S.C.J. No. 10, 2024 SCC 10 (S.C.C.); Reference re An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, [2024] S.C.J. No. 5, 2024 SCC 5 (S.C.C.).

87 Commission scolaire, at para. 66 (S.C.C.).

88 Commission scolaire, at para. 75 (S.C.C.).

89 Commission scolaire, at para. 92 (S.C.C.).

90 See e.g., Commission scolaire (S.C.C.); Mason (S.C.C.); Sharp (S.C.C.); CCR (S.C.C.); Ontario Mandate Letter Case (S.C.C.).

91 Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v. Vavilov, [2019] S.C.J. No. 65, 2019 SCC 65 (S.C.C.).

92 Appeal of Auer v. Auer, [2022] A.J. No. 1389, 2022 ABCA 375 (Alta. C.A.); Appeal of TransAlta Generation Partnership v. Alberta, [2022] A.J. No. 1393, 2022 ABCA 381 (Alta. C.A.); Appeal of International Air Transport Association v. Canadian Transportation Agency, [2022] F.C.J. No. 1702, 2022 FCA 211 (F.C.A.). That said, these cases also raise constitutional issues about the vires of regulations or guidelines enacted in regulatory schemes.

93 R. v. Kahsai, [2023] S.C.J. No. 20, 2023 SCC 20 (S.C.C.); Hills (S.C.C.); Commission scolaire (S.C.C.); Mason (S.C.C.).

94 Doré v. Barreau du Québec, [2012] S.C.J. No. 12, 2012 SCC 12 (S.C.C.).

95 The Court also offered clarification on the rules of statutory interpretation in La Presse Inc. v. Québec, [2023] S.C.J. No. 22, 2023 SCC 22 (S.C.C.).

96 See e.g., Sharp (S.C.C.); Hills (S.C.C.); Hillbach (S.C.C.); Mason (S.C.C.); Hansman (S.C.C.); York Region District School Board v. Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, [2024] S.C.J. No. 22, 2024 SCC 22 (S.C.C.); Société des casinos du Québec inc. v. Association des cadres de la Société des casinos du Québec, [2024] S.C.J. No. 13, 2024 SCC 13 (S.C.C.); Ontario Mandate Letters Case (S.C.C.).

97 Toronto (City) v. Ontario (Attorney General), [2021] S.C.J. No. 34, 2021 SCC 34 (S.C.C.).