The Impact of St Catharines Milling

AuthorKaren Drake
Pages618-638

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FacultyofLawunpublishedatidentifyingandanalyzingthreedif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

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