Deep Apple Pie: Language and the Law in Canada

According to Canadian poet Frank Oliver Call, « the soul of Canada is a dual personality, and must remain only half revealed to those who know only one language ». With each of Canada’s official languages comes indeed a mindset, a culture, a legacy. In addition to quebecois bijuralism, the federal/provincial division of powers, Nunavut’s unique Aboriginal legal order and the influence of the United States, language, a too-often overlooked element, plays an essential role in shaping Canadian law. In a globalized world where cultures meet and legal systems blend, virtually all regional and global institutions created since the twentieth century have been faced with the challenge of producing multilingual rules acceptable and workable for all their members. Despite its flaws and paradoxes, the Canadian legal system is a fascinating example of legislating and administering justice in a truly multicultural society.

Keyvan Sayar is a French-Iranian jurist and fiction writer. He studied law and political science at Université Paris Ouest, Sciences Po Grenoble and Trinity College Dublin.