Page 457 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

B3. Legal Roles and Responsibilities
FOCUS ON: Legal Significance; Interrelationships; Legal Perspective
By the end of this course, students will:
B3.1 describe the roles of the three branches of government (i.e., executive, legislative, judicial) in the Canadian legal system and how the roles are interrelated
Sample questions: “How can individuals and groups in Canada influence the executive and legislative branches of government to bring about legal change?” “What role does your local member of Parliament play in the creation of new laws?”
B3.2 explain the legal significance of some key aspects of the Canadian Constitution (e.g., the division of powers between the federal and provincial levels of government, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the amending formula, the recognition of Aboriginal rights, residual powers)
B3.3 analyse the impact of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on the role and influence of the judiciary in Canada’s legal system
Sample questions: “Has the relationship between Parliament and the judiciary changed since the enactment of the Charter? If so, (a) in what ways, and (b) how significant are the changes?”
B3.4 identify the roles and responsibilities of various individuals and groups within the Canadian justice system (e.g., individuals have
a responsibility to know the law and not to partici- pate in a crime; corporations have a responsibility to comply with government regulations in the conduct of their business; governments have a legal obligation to create and enforce measures
to protect citizens from avoidable harm)
B4. Development of Law
FOCUS ON: Legal Significance; Continuity and Change
By the end of this course, students will:
B4.1 explain how evolving societal attitudes and values have promoted or prevented changes to Canadian law (e.g., in laws relating to censorship, gambling, environmental protection, workplace safety, marriage, the use of marijuana, capital punishment, abortion, prostitution, polygamy)
B4.2 evaluate the responsiveness of Canadian legislation to societal issues (e.g., protection of privacy, protection of intellectual property) raised by developments in science (e.g., advances in human genetics, new understanding of the effects of toxic/harmful substances) and technology (e.g., advances in information and communications technology)
B4.3 explain how points of view and issues associated with diverse groups and individuals (e.g., John Diefenbaker, Donald Marshall, Tommy Douglas, Elijah Harper, Cindy Blackstock, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund, the Famous Five) have influenced the development of law in Canada
Sample questions: “What legal issues relating to Aboriginal people were highlighted by Elijah Harper’s opposition to the proposed Meech Lake Accord? What were some of the immediate and longer-term outcomes of his actions?” “How did Donald Marshall’s overturned conviction (in 1983) affect rules governing judicial proced- ures in the Canadian criminal justice system?” “How did the Ad Hoc Committee of Canadian Women on the Constitution influence the content of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms?” “How did the advocacy of Sandra Lovelace and Mary Two-Axe Early lead to revision of the Indian Act?”
B4.4 describe how legislation and recent land- mark cases relating to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples have influenced the circum- stances of Aboriginal people and the interpretation of Aboriginal rights in Canada (e.g., the Royal Proclamation of 1763; Numbered Treaties; the Indian Act and its amendments; the creation of Nunavut; R. v. Drybones, 1970; R. v. Sparrow, 1990; R. v. Moses, 1992; Delgamuukw v. British Columbia, 1997; Bazley v. Curry, 1999; R. v. Marshall [No. 1], 1999; R. v. Powley, 2003; Tsilhqot’in Nation v. British Columbia, 2014)
LEGAL FOUNDATIONS
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Understanding Canadian Law
CLU3M