The Charter Revolution and the Court Party - Softcover

Morton, F.L.; Knopff, Rainer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 155111089X ISBN 13: 9781551110899

Publisher: University of Toronto Press, 2000

Synopsis

The Charter of Rights has transformed Canadian politics. The Supreme Court has used the Charter to change government policy on an ever-expanding list of controversial issues—abortion, aboriginal rights, gay rights, bilingualism, criminal law enforcement, and prisoner-voting. The Court has made itself the second most powerful institution in Canadian politics after the Federal Cabinet. Morton and Knopff demonstrate that the Court is not so much the cause as the means by which the Charter Revolution has been achieved. Behind the judges is a well orchestrated network of state-funded interest groups that use litigation and the media to achieve what they can't win through democratic elections.

About this title

About the Author

F.L. Morton and Rainer Knopff received their PhDs from the University of Toronto and have both taught at the University of Calgary for the past twenty years. Their previous books include Charter Politics (1992), Morgentaler v. Borowski: Abortion, the Charter, and the Courts (1992), Human Rights and Social Technology: The New War on Discrimination (1989), and Federalism and the Charter: Leading Constitutional Decisions (1989, with Peter Russell).

F.L. Morton and Rainer Knopff received their PhDs from the University of Toronto and have both taught at the University of Calgary for the past twenty years. Their previous books include Charter Politics (1992), Morgentaler v. Borowski: Abortion, the Charter, and the Courts (1992), Human Rights and Social Technology: The New War on Discrimination (1989), and Federalism and the Charter: Leading Constitutional Decisions (1989, with Peter Russell).

Review

"Here finally is a book that unveils the politics that infuse Canadian courts and their decisions." -- Leslie A. Pal, Carleton University

"This book has to be read by anyone seeking to understand Canadian political life." -- Seymour Martin Lipset, George Mason University, author of Continental Divide: The Values and Institutions of the United States and Canada

"This is a splendid book... It rockets along, combining balanced scholarship and philosophical insight with breathtaking readability." -- Janet Ajzenstat, McMaster University

"This is a terrific book: important, compelling, uncompromising....For anyone who cares about Canada's future, this a must read." -- William Watson, McGill University and Editor, Policy Options

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Toronto Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 155111089X
• ISBN 13: 9781551110899
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240