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 native rights, treaties, and other aboriginal law matters, check out our research guide on Aboriginal Law.
Texts
- Canadian Charter of Rights: the Prosecution and Defence of Criminal and Other Statutory Offences 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
- Charter of rights and freedoms, 7th ed. by Robert Sharpe Table of Contents Also available as an e-text
- Constitutional Law, 5th ed. by Patrick J. Monahan & Byron Shaw Table of Contents Also available as an e-text
- Constitutional Law of Canada 5th ed. by Peter W. Hogg Table of Contents Also available online
- Constitutional Law of Canada, 9th ed. by Joseph Eliot Magnet Table of Contents
- Constitutional Remedies in Canada, 2nd ed. by Kent Roach Table of Contents Also available online
- Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 7th ed. by Robert Sharpe & Kent Roach Table of Contents Available as an e-text
- Charter Remedies in Criminal Cases: a Practitioner’s Handbook, 2nd ed. by Matthew Asma & Matthew Gourlay. Table of Contents. Also available as an e-text.
- 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
Online
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.
E-Resources
Alberta Court Judgments
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.
Digests
The Canadian Abridgment available on: Westlaw Canada
All Canadian Summaries, Canadian Case Summaries and Canada Digest are available on: LexisAdvance® Quicklaw®
Legislation
Federal
- 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
Provincial
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
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
Halsbury’s Laws of Canada is a multi-volume set includes coverage of Federal, Provincial & Territorial legislation
Also available electronically through: LexisAdvance® Quicklaw®
Titles related to Constitution Law and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms include:
- Aboriginal Law (HAB)
- Administrative Law (HAD)
- Constitutional Law: Charter Rights (HCHR)
- Constitutional Law: Division of Powers (HCL)
- Legislatures (HLE)
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
E-Resources
- 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
Alberta
Advocacy & Special Interest Groups
Agencies
Federal
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 cite containing historical information on the Constitution
- Supreme Law: an Introduction
- History before 1981
Research Groups
We connect you to the world of legal information in an open and innovative environment.
When you need it. How you need it.