Constitutional Law (Heckman)

Course Number
LAW 1460
Course Description

Canadian constitutional law seeks to identify, define and reconcile the rights, responsibilities and functions of governments, communities and individuals in Canada.  In the Fall term, this course aims to enable you to develop a critical understanding of the basic principles, theoretical debates and judicial doctrines that underlie and inform the division of powers between the federal and provincial governments and the relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canada and apply this knowledge to identify constitutional issues and formulate persuasive constitutional law arguments.

Teaching Method

The course will be taught primarily through lectures and class discussions, supplemented occasionally by exercises. Students will be expected to prepare for the course by reading assigned excerpts from the casebook and other materials placed on the UMLearn course page.

Assessment

Students are assessed based on an exam relating to the division of powers (35%) and a case comment or research paper relating to Aboriginal constitutional law (25%).

Course Materials

Canadian Constitutional Law, 5th ed., Edited by Macklem et al., (Toronto: Emond, 2017), Supplement (online), other materials and cases posted on course page.

Instructor