In this guide, you will find information, resources and links about Canadian constitutional law. This includes some of the following subjects:
Constitutional:
- Division of powers
- Parliament & legislatures
Charter of Rights & Freedoms:
- Civil liberties
- Human rights
- Discrimination
For information about Aboriginal rights, treaties, and other law matters, check out our research guide on Indigenous Law.
Texts
- Canadian charter of rights : the prosecution and defence of criminal and other statutory offences (available online), by Roderick M. McLeod et al.
- Canadian constitutional law, 6th ed. editor Carissima Mathen & Patrick Macklem Table of Contents.
- Canadian Human Rights Act : quick reference , 2020 ed. by Jamie Knight et al Table of Contents.
- The Charter of rights and freedoms (available online), 7th ed. by Robert Sharpe Table of Contents.
- Constitutional law (available online), 5th ed. by Patrick J. Monahan & Byron Shaw Table of Contents.
- Constitutional law of Canada (available online) 5th ed. by Peter W. Hogg Table of Contents.
- Constitutional law of Canada, 9th ed. by Joseph Eliot Magnet Table of Contents.
- Constitutional remedies in Canada (available online), 2nd ed. by Kent Roach Table of Contents.
- Charter of rights and freedoms (available online), 7th ed. by Robert Sharpe & Kent Roach Table of Contents.
- Charter remedies in criminal cases : a practitioner’s handbook (available online), 2nd ed. by Matthew Asma & Matthew Gourlay. Table of Contents.
- Law of the constitution : the distribution of powers by Donald F. Bur Table of Contents.
- Laws of the constitution : consolidated by Donald Bur Table of Contents.
- Oxford handbook of the Canadian constitution edited by Peter Oliver, Patrick Macklem & Nathalie Des Rosiers Table of Contents.
Last revised Apr. 25, 2024
- Private security and fundamental rights by Lucie Lemonde
Last revised July 20, 2023
Case Law
For more information on finding cases see our research guide: Finding and researching cases.
A collection of the judgments of the Alberta Courts is available from CanLII. The official version of the reasons for judgment is the signed original or handwritten endorsement in the court file. If there is a question about the content of a judgment, the original court file takes precedence.
The Canadian Abridgment available on: Westlaw Canada
All Canadian Summaries, Canadian Case Summaries and Canada Digest are available on: LexisAdvance® Quicklaw®
Legislation
- Canada Act 1982 (UK), 1982, c 11
- Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (UK), 1982, c 11
- Canadian Human Rights Act, RSC 1985, c H-6
- Constitution Act, 1867 (UK), 30 & 31 Vict, c 3, reprinted in RSC 1985, App II, No 5
- Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (UK), 1982, c 11
- The Thirty enactments referred to in the schedule to the Constitution Act
Alberta Human Rights Act, RSA 2000, c A-25.5
To access or purchase the official version, go to Alberta King’s Printer.
Encyclopedias
Canadian encyclopedic digest (C.E.D.) (Western), 4th ed.
Sections related to Constitutional law include:
- Aboriginal Law.
- Administrative Law.
- Human Rights.
- Municipal Corporations-General.
- Parliament & Legislature.
The CED provides discussion of these areas of law with annotations to legislation and case law.
Available electronically through: Westlaw Canada
Halsbury’s laws of Canada is a multi-volume set which includes coverage of Federal, Provincial & Territorial legislation.
Also available online through: LexisAdvance® Quicklaw®
Titles related to Constitutional Law and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms include:
- Aboriginal Law (HAB) Table of Contents
- Administrative Law (HAD) Table of Contents
- Constitutional Law: Charter Rights (HCHR) Table of Contents
- Constitutional Law: Division of Powers (HCL) Table of Contents
- Legislatures (HLG) Table of Contents
Additional information may be found under other topical headings.
Journals
- Charter of rights newsletter
- Constitutional forum (Const Forum). Forum constitutionnel (Forum Const)
- National journal of constitutional law (NJCL). Revue nationale de droit constitutionnel (RNDC)
- Review of constitutional studies (Rev Const Stud). Revue d’etudes constitutionnelles (R etudes const)
- The Supreme Court law review (Sup Ct L Rev)
Last revised Apr. 6, 2023
- Canadian Journal of Human Rights
- Reports and research papers
- Index to Canadian Legal Literature (ICLL) Available electronically on Westlaw Canada and Lexis Advance® Quicklaw®
- Current index to Legal Periodicals – Available electronically on HeinOnline
Additional full-text articles are available electronically through:
- vLex Justis
- LexisAdvance® Quicklaw®
- Westlaw Canada – Contains a collection of Canadian journals and law reviews, as well as all articles and case comments appearing in Carswell law reports.
- HeinOnline – Provides full-text access to Canadian and international law reviews and legal journals.
Websites
Advocacy & Special Interest Groups
Agencies
Advocacy & Special Interest Groups
- British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
- Canadian Constitution Foundation
- Canadian Civil Liberties Association
Agencies
Legal Blogs
- À bon droit (in French)
- Charter Cases
- Constitutionally Canadian
- Double Aspect (in English and French)
General Information
- Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms – provides information about the charter and summaries of each section and its purpose
- Primary Documents -Searchable site containing historical information on the Constitution
- Supreme Law: an Introduction
- History before 1981
Research Groups
Disclaimer: As law librarians, we are pleased to provide you this resource for information and research purposes only – It is not a substitute for professional legal advice. We strive to bring you quality and current information in this resource, but we make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, accessibility, adequacy, or completeness of the information presented here. The sources featured are selected based on professional assessment and opinion, and do not constitute an endorsement, editorial, review, or guarantee.