Foundations of Canadian Law
This 1215 document helped establish the idea that even the king must follow the law.
What is the Magna Carta?
This is the name given to a proposed law before it becomes law.
What is a bill?
This term describes law that comes from Indigenous communities and their own legal traditions.
What is Indigenous Law?
This is a formal, binding agreement that creates obligations between nations or other parties.
What is a treaty?
This Canadian federal law was first passed in 1876.
What is the Indian Act?
This type of law develops through court decisions and the use of precedent.
What is Common Law?
This court normally handles more serious criminal cases and may sometimes involve a jury.
What is Superior Court / Court of King’s Bench?
This term describes the coexistence of English Common Law, French Civil Law, and Indigenous Law in Canada.
What is legal pluralism?
These treaties focused on peace, friendship, trade, and ongoing relationships rather than surrendering land.
What are the Peace and Friendship Treaties?
This term refers to legal registration under the Indian Act.
What is Indian Status?
This 1774 law helped restore the French civil-law tradition in Quebec.
What is the Quebec Act of 1774?
After a federal bill passes the House of Commons and Senate, this person gives it Royal Assent.
Who is the Governor General?
These gatherings were used by Wabanaki nations to make decisions, discuss important issues, and settle disputes.
What are Council Fires?
This 1763 document established a formal Crown process for dealing with Indigenous lands.
What is the Royal Proclamation of 1763?
This term describes an attempt to absorb one group into the culture and society of another.
What is assimilation?
This legal concept means that an important previous court decision can influence how similar future cases are decided.
What is precedent?
This is Canada's highest court and serves as the country's final court of appeal.
What is the Supreme Court of Canada?
This organization allowed Wabanaki nations to work together on shared issues while remaining their own individual nations.
What is the Wabanaki Confederacy?
These 11 treaties, signed from 1871–1921, involved large areas of western and northern Canada and parts of Ontario.
What are the Numbered Treaties?
Unlike a treaty, which is an agreement between parties, the Indian Act is this type of law created by government.
What is federal legislation/statute law?
Canada generally has federal criminal law, while in this neighbouring country criminal law can vary significantly from state to state
What is the United States?
A student says a serious criminal case should begin at the Supreme Court of Canada. This court would normally hear the serious criminal trial instead.
What is Superior Court / Court of King’s Bench?
Canadian laws and court decisions dealing with Indigenous peoples' constitutional rights and their relationship with the Crown are known by this term.
What is Aboriginal Law?
This phrase means that land was never legally given up or surrendered through a treaty.
What is unceded and unsurrendered?
This principle means that everyone, including governments and people in positions of power, must follow the law.
What is the Rule of Law?