Crown Law

"With government having assumed an important role in most areas of economic and social life, issues relating to potential legal liability for wrongful or negligent activity have taken on increasing importance. When things go wrong, whether it involves matters as diverse as problems with the blood supply, with unsafe drinking water, or the failure of a major financial institution, those who suffer loss inevitably look to whether their losses can be traced back to government or regulatory failure.

Canada's Deep Crown looks at the role of the Sovereign from the perspective of political science, history, and law to assess its role and influence in respect to how Canadians govern themselves.

In Canada, the fundamentals of law relating to Aboriginal peoples are unclear and Indigenous communities lack appropriate guidance in terms of efficiently accessing the legal system to address breaches of their rights. This is yet another injustice endured by Aboriginal peoples in Canada. However, the Supreme Court of Canada has begun to place greater emphasis on the honour-of-the-Crown principle and less on the paternalistic, complex notion that governments owe a fiduciary duty to Aboriginal peoples. Dickson explores both theoretical and practical implications of this fundamental shift and possible future outcomes.