Competing Rights or Competing Context under the Charter?

• Author: Errol P Mendes
• Pages: 122-146



CompetingRightsorCompeting

ContextundertheCharter

Errol P Mendes*

A CO N T E X T UA L EQ U I L I BR I U M V E R SU S 

COMPETINGRIGHTSUNDERTHE

CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND

FREEDOMS

OneofthemostoverlookedquotesfromtheSupremeCourtofCanada

isfromthelandmarkR v OakesrulingwhereDicksonJcommentson

theoverarchingvaluestobekeptinmindwheninterpretingtheCan-

adian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,includingsection.Hestatedthat

the Charterskeyvaluescanbefoundwithinthephrasefreeanddemo

cratic societyand that thos e valuesshould be us ed as the ultimate

standardforinterpretationofsectionChiefJusticeDicksondescribed

thisultimatestandardinthefollowingterms

Inclusion of these words as the  nal standard of justication for

limitsonrightsandfreedomsreferstheCourttotheverypurpose

forwhichtheCharterwasoriginallyentrenchedintheConstitution

Canadian socie ty is to be free a nddemoc ratic The Court must be

guidedbythevaluesandprinciplesessentialtoafreeanddemocratic

societywhichIbelieveembodytonamebutafewrespectforthe

inherentdignityofthehumanpersoncommitmenttosocialjustice

 UniversityofOawaFacultyofLaw

 CanLIISCCOakes

Competing Rights or Competing Context under the Charter?

andequalityaccommodationofawidevarietyofbeliefsrespectfor

cultural and g roup identityand fait h in social and p olitical inst itu

tions which enh ance the participation of i ndividuals and groups in

societyTheunderlyingvaluesandprinciplesofafreeanddemocratic

societyarethegenesisoftherightsandfreedomsguaranteedbythe

Charterandtheultimatestandardagainstwhichalimitonarightor

freedommustbeshowndespiteitseecttobereasonableanddemon

strablyjustied

WhilethesevalueswillinevitablyconictintheorytheCourthas

striveninOakes andinsubsequentdecisionstohunchoutajurispru

dential framework contextual equilibrium in concrete cases where

thesevaluesmayconictbecausetheyinvolvecompetingcontextsin

whichrightsorvaluesclaimsaremadeInsomeoftheleadingdecisions

on the ChartertheconicthasbeenbetweentwosetsofrightsHow

everothercasesshowconictbetweenrightsandtheothervaluesnot

exhaustivelylistedbyDicksonCJinhisstatementonthefoundational

societalvaluesofafreeanddemocraticsocietyInbothcasesbutespe

cially in cases bet ween rights and values the focus wil l immediately

turntotheproportionalityanalysisinsectionoftheCharterThisan

alysisfocusesprimarilyonthesituationwherethevaluesunderlying

twosetsofrightsmayappeartobecompeting

EventhoughthesevalueslistedbyDicksonCJinOakesmayconict

intheorytheyarethefundamentalvaluesoftheCharterTheyaresup

posedtoguidenotonlythedevelopmentofthecommonlawbutalso

theinterpretationofstatutorylawinCanadaincludingquasiconstitu

tionalhumanrightslegislationsuchastheOntario Human Rights Code

JusticeFrankIacobuccioneofthemostinuentialSupremeCourt

justicesinshapingtheevolutionoftheCharterhasproposedthatthere

shouldbeafocusonreconcilingrightsratherthanaddressingcompet

ingrightsThisiscrucialbecausetheSupremeCourthasinsistedthat

thereisnohierarchyofrightstobeinferredfromthejurisprudenceof

the Charterandthatnoonerightshouldbeprivilegedattheexpenseof

anotherThisprinciplewasrmlystatedbyLamerCJintheDagenais v

Canadian Broadcasting CorporationrulingbytheSupremeCourt

 Ibid atpara

 RSOcHOnt HR Code

 FrankIacobucciReconcilingRightsTheSupremeCourtofCanadasApproach

toCompetingCharter RightsSupreme Court Law Revi ewd

 Dagenais v Canadian Broadcasting CorpSCRDagenais