Issue 18:

The cases with which Gareth Morley and Finn Poschmann open the theme section on politics and the law is enough to indicate the current importance of the Supreme Court of Canada. Arguably, the red-robed men and women are the nine most powerful Canadians. Allan Blakeney, who as Premier of Saskatchewan helped craft the deal that brought the Charter into being, in an interview with Morley, examines the Court’s record: the Constitution is a “living tree,” but the courts shouldn’t decide that they don’t like the tree we planted, dig it up and transplant another species. Patrick Monahan, Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School takes a much more favourable view.