On October 1, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in City of Toronto v Ontario (Attorney General). The Métis Nation of Ontario (“MNO”) and Métis Nation of Alberta (“MNA”) jointly intervened in the case to protect the unwritten constitutional principle of the honour of the Crown that is owed to Indigenous peoples. The case was about the fairness of a municipal election in one city, but the decision also raised the issue of how Canada’s Constitution is to be interpreted and the role of unwritten constitutional principles in protecting the rights of all Canadian citizens, including the unique rights and interest of Indigenous peoples:
Honour of the Crown as a constitutional principle is unique, says top court
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) has ruled that the honour of the Crown is a unique unwritten constitutional principle that may have the ability to invalidate legislation.
However, in its Oct. 1 decision in the case of Toronto v. Ontario, the SCC wrote, “We need not decide here whether the principle is capable of grounding the constitutional invalidation of legislation, but if it is, it is unique in that regard.” Read the rest of the story here
Source: Toronto Star, October 8, 2021
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