The Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Essentials of Canadian Law)

Written by two of Canada's leading constitutional scholars, no other Canadian book provides such an accessible yet thorough and objective account of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms . The authors survey the manner in which Canadian courts have come to terms with a constitutionally entrenched bill of rights, focusing on the decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada. The purpose is to explain the Charter , its interpretation by the courts, and its practical application.

There have been many significant developments in Charter jurisprudence since the publication of the fourth edition in 2009. The Supreme Court has revisited the fundamental issues concerning the interpretation of freedom of association, equality rights, and the reach of the protection accorded life, liberty, and security of the person. There have also been significant developments with regard to freedom of expression, freedom of religion and its relationship with the fair trial rights of the accused.

Robert Sharpe was formerly a professor at the Faculty of Law, University of toronto, where he wrote and taught in the areas of constitutional law, remedies, civil procedure, and criminal law. From 1990 to 1995 he served as Dean of the Faculty. He has appeared as counsel in a number of Charter cases in courts at all levels, including the Supreme Court of Canada. From 1988 to 1990, he served as the Supreme Court's Executive Legal Officer. Robert Sharpe was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1991. He was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice (General Division) in 1995 and was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 1999. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1991, awarded the Ontario Bar Association Distinguished Service Award in 2005, elected a Senior Fellow of Massey College in 2006, and received the Mundell Medal for Distinguished Contribution to Law and Letters in 2008. Justice Sharpe has published many scholarly articles and is the author of several award-winning books on law and legal history.