Paquette and Brabant v. Galipeau and Galipeau, (1981) 37 N.R. 421 (SCC)

• Judge: Dickson, Estey, McIntyre, Chouinard and Lamer, JJ.
• Court: Supreme Court (Canada)
• Case Date: February 03, 1981
• Jurisdiction: Canada (Federal)
• Citations: (1981), 37 N.R. 421 (SCC);22 RFL (2d) 192;[1981] 1 SCR 29;37 NR 421;1981 CanLII 160 (SCC)

Paquette v. Galipeau (1981), 37 N.R. 421 (SCC)

MLB headnote and full text

Paquette and Brabant v. Galipeau and Galipeau

Indexed As: Paquette and Brabant v. Galipeau and Galipeau

Supreme Court of Canada

Dickson, Estey, McIntyre, Chouinard and Lamer, JJ.

February 3, 1981.

Summary:

This case arose out of the placing of a child for adoption with persons in the Province of Quebec. Subsequently, the mother and father attempted to revoke their consent to the adoption and applied to the Quebec Superior Court by way of a writ of habeas corpus. The Quebec Superior Court quashed the writ of habeas corpus. The parents appealed to the Quebec Court of Appeal.

The Quebec Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal. The parents appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the appeal.

Family Law - Topic 1424

Adoption - Jurisdiction conferred by statute - The Supreme Court of Canada stated that in Quebec the jurisdiction to decide a child's adoption and custody lay exclusively with the Youth Court - The court held that habeas corpus was not available in the Quebec Superior Court to a parent seeking custody of a child which had been placed for adoption (see paragraphs 8 and 39).

Conflict of Laws - Topic 2386

Family law - Adoption - The Supreme Court of Canada stated that the law applicable to an adoption is the cumulative application of the law of the domicile of the adopting party and the law of the domicile of the party adopted (see paragraphs 15 and 49).

Cases Noticed:

Stevenson v. Florant, [1925] S.C.R. 532, aff. by [1927] A.C. 211, refd to. [paras. 6 and 37].

Marshall v. Fournelle, [1927] S.C.R. 48, aff. (1926), 40 Q.B. 391, refd to. [paras. 6 and 37].

Kivenko v. Yagod, [1928] S.C.R. 421, aff. (1928), 44 Q.B. 330, refd to. [paras. 6 and 37].

Dugal v. Lefebvre, [1934] S.C.R. 501, refd to. [paras. 6 and 37].

Cheyne v. Cheyne, [1977] C.A. 319, refd to. [paras. 6 and 37].

Statutes Noticed:

Quebec Code of Civil Procedure, sect. 851, sect. 855 [paras. 5 and 36].

Quebec Civil Code, art. 6 [paras. 14 and 45]; art. 245 [paras. 6 and 37].

Adoption Act, R.S.Q. 1977, c. A-7, sect. 6 [paras. 17 and 48], sect. 17 [paras. 8 and 39].

Child Welfare Act, R.S.O. 1970, c. 64, sect. 73 [paras. 27 and 58].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Mayrand, Albert, Adoption et successibilité (1959), 19 R. du B. 409 [paras. 15 and 46].

Counsel:

Pierre Fournier and David McAusland, for the appellant;

Pierre Tessier and Marie St-Pierre, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard by DICKSON, ESTEY, McINTYRE, CHOUINARD and LAMER, JJ., of the Supreme Court of Canada at Ottawa, Ontario on November 10, 1980.

The judgment of the Supreme Court of Canada was delivered by LAMER, J., on February 3, 1981 - see paragraphs 1 to 31 (English language judgment) and paragraphs 32 to 62 (French language judgment).