Canadian Law: An Introduction

by Neil Boyd

Canadian Law is a core text in the Introduction to Canadian Law course found in universities and colleges. It is written for students who do not want to become legal professionals but still need an understanding of the law. These students will pursue careers in Criminology and other legal jobs such as custom officers, law clerks etc. It combines the basic building blocks of Canada’s public law system with broad social analysis of the legal order of Canada. It examines sources of law, the role of law, the significance of the Constitutional Act, and the process of statutory interpretation. Substantive law – tort, family, administrative and criminal – is also featured. Case law is used throughout the text to highlight competing perspectives, as well as to provide teachers and students with a focus for further analysis and debate. The full text of Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is included in the book.

Genres: Law, Canada

408 pages

First published October 7, 2010

About the author

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Reviews

[Shishir · Rating 3 out of 5]

A text book on Law – Has many cases listed and overall covers the big picture – Could have been better organized and less muddled

[Ben W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice introduction to Canadian Law. I found this text to contain a wealth of interesting information, and I was particularly fascinated by the chapters on: The Constitution of Canada, Torts of Intention and Negligence, and Criminal Law.

This text will expose the reader to a number of significant cases and decisions written by Canadian judges (including some from the Supreme Court of Canada). These decisions highlight the ambiguity present in our statutes and we are exposed to the different methods of interpretations (for example, we could read the statute literally, in context, or in accordance with its intentions).



Brief Contents:

Part 1: Role and Origin

Chapter 1: The Role of Law
Chapter 2: The Sources of Canadian Law
Chapter 3: How do Judges Interpret Ambiguous Statutes?

Part 2: Building Blocks of the Canadian Legal System

Chapter 4: The Constitution of Canada
Chapter 5: Canada's Courts
Chapter 6: The Study of Law, Lawyers, and Judges

Part 3: Substantive Law

Chapter 7: Torts of Intention and Negligence
Chapter 8: The Changing Family and Family Law
Chapter 9: Administrative Law
Chapter 10: Criminal Law