The Impact of St Catharines Milling

• Author: Karen Drake
• Pages: 618-638



TheImpactof

St Catharines Milling

Karen Drake*

A. INTRODUCTION

St Catharines Millingmayseemlikeapeculiarchoiceasoneofthethree

constitutionalcasesthathelpedtodeneCanadaasanationgiventhat

mostof t he legal principles armed by Lord Watsonwr iting for the

PrivyCouncilhavebeenoverruledThischapteridentiestheprinci

plesfromSt Catharines Milling whicharestillgoodlawandarguesthat

thelogicthatunderliesandshapesthoseprinciplesisthelogicofthe

doctrineofdiscoveryandtheprincipleofterra nullius

Juristshavearticulateddierentversionsofthedoctrineofdiscovery

anddisagreedaboutitspreciserequirementsAtitsessencethedoctrine

 AssociateProfessorOsgoodeHallLawSchoolatYorkUniversityIwouldliketo

thankJessicaKarjanmaaforherdiligentresearchassistanceandKentMcNeilfor

hishelpfulcommentsonanearlierdraftAnyerrorsaremyresponsibilityalone

 SeeRobertJMillerTheDoctrineofDiscoveryinRobertJMilleretalDiscovering

IndigenousLandsTheDoctrineofDiscoveryintheEnglishColoniesOxfordOxford

UniversityPressatarguingthatEuropeansoccasionallydisagreed

overtheexactmeaningofDiscoveryandevensometimesviolentlydisputedtheir

divergentclaimsbutoneprincipletheyneverdisagreedaboutwasthattheIn

digenouspeoplesandnationslostsovereigncommercialandrealpropertyrights

immediatelyupontheirdiscoverybyEuropeansSeeKarenDrakeThe A nswer,

NottheProblemAnExaminationoftheRoleofAboriginalRightsinSecuringaLiberal

Foundation for the Legitimacy of th e Canadian StateLLMThesisUniversityofToronto

FacultyofLawunpublishedatidentifyingandanalyzingthreedif

ferentversionsofthedoctrineofdiscovery

The Impact of StCatharinesMilling

allowsanationtoacquiresovereigntyoverforeignterritorybybeingthe

rsttodiscoveritonsomeversionsitwasnecessarytonotonlydiscover

butalsoeectivelyoccupytheterritoryTraditionallythismodeofac

quiringsovereigntyappliedonlytoterra nulliusthatisterritorynotyet

possessedbyasociallyandpoliticallyorganizedcommunitySomeEuro

peannationshoweverdeemedIndigenousterritoriestobeterra nullius

forthesakeofassertingsovereigntyoverthembymeansofdiscovery

TheirrationalewasthesupposedinferiorityofIndigenouspeoples

Theoperationofthedoctrineofdiscoveryandtheprincipleofterra

nulliuswithinSt Catharines MillingisnotimmediatelyapparentNeither

ofthesephrasesappearsinLordWatsonsdecisionNordoeshisdeci

sioncontainanydiscussionofMarshallCJstrilogyestablishingthedoc

trineofdiscoveryinAmericanlawincludingJohnson v M’Intosh,which

hasbeencitedatlengthinmodernCanadiandecisionsNordidLord

WatsonexplicitlyaccuseIndigenouspeoplesofinferiorityasChancellor

BoyddidsoopenlyinthetrialdecisionYetasothershaverecognized

thedoctrineofdiscoveryisenmeshedwithinLordWatsonsanalysis

Canadahasmanythingstobeproudofduringitssesquicentennial

butthedoctrineofdiscoveryisnotoneofthemWhileCanadiansright

fullycelebrateourmanyaccomplishmentsthedoctrineofdiscoveryre

mainsournationalshameThisstateofaairsisnotunavoidableOur

elected governments haveit wit hin their power to repudiate the doc

 SeeJohnHCurriePublic Internati onal LawdedTorontoIrwinLawat

 SeeCurrieibidDrakeabovenoteat

 SeeMillerabovenoteat

 Ibid atMFLindleyTheAcquisitionandGovernmentofBackwardTerritoryinInterna-

tionalLawBeingaTreatiseontheLawandPracticeRelatingtoColonialExpansionNew

YorkNegroUniversitiesPressatJohnson v M’Intosh Wheaton

atUS

 Johnson v M’Intoshibid

 SeeespeciallyGuerin v CanadaSCRatDicksonJGuerinR v Van

der Pee tSCRatparasandLamerCJMitchell v Canada (Minister

of National Revenue)SCCatparasBinnieJminorityopinionSee

also R v SparrowSCRatSparrowholdingthattherewasfrom

theoutsetneveranydoubtthatsovereigntyandlegislativepowerandindeedthe

underlyingtitletosuchlandsvestedintheCrownandcitingJo hnson v M’Intosh

abovenoteassupportforthispropositionTsilhqotinNationvBritishColumbia

BCCAatpara

 R v St Catharines Milling and Lumber CompanyORChSt Catharines

Milling TrialDecision

 SeeLeroyLileBearAConceptofNativeTitleTheLegalTermsintheBale

forLandSummerAwkesasne NotesTraceyLindbergTheDoctrineof

DiscoveryinCanadainRobertJMilleretalabovenoteat