The Preamble has had a significant impact on constitutional jurisprudence concerning parliamentary democracy, the nature of
Canadian federalism, the
rule of law and the
independence of the Canadian courts.
Parliamentary government The Preamble's statement that Canada is to have a government "similar in principle to that of the United Kingdom" is an indication that the principles of British parliamentary government, particularly the concept of
responsible government, will apply in Canada.
John A. Macdonald made this point in the
Confederation Debates in the
Province of Canada in 1865: This approach is carried out by the fact that the monarch is the head of the federal executive, aided by the
Privy Council for Canada. The federal Parliament is composed of the monarch, the
Senate and the
Canadian House of Commons, similar to the
British Parliament. Parliament operates under the principles of responsible government, which had been implemented in British North America in the 1840s, beginning in Nova Scotia.
"Implied Bill of Rights" One of the first cases where the Preamble was cited in detail was in
Reference Re Alberta Statutes. In that case, Alberta had in 1937 passed several statutes to implement
social credit monetary theories, which had then been
disallowed by the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. The Alberta Legislative Assembly then passed three additional statutes, which the federal government referred to the Supreme Court of Canada for an
opinion as to their constitutional validity. One statute dealt with bank taxation, the second with the implementation of social credit monetary theories, and the third applied to the news media, entitled
An Act to ensure the Publication of Accurate News and Information. The third act required media outlets to publish information furnished to them by the chairman of the government's social credit board, and to provide information as to their sources of news stories back to the chairman. The Supreme Court unanimously held that the bank taxation act and the social credit act were not within provincial jurisdiction. With respect to the
Accurate News Act, the six judges all held that it was
ultra vires, but differed on their reasons. Three judges (Justices
Kerwin,
Crocket and
Hudson) held that it was inherently linked to the social credit act, and therefore fell with that act. The other three judges (Chief Justice
Duff and Justices
Davis and
Cannon) went further. They held that the Preamble's reference to a constitution "similar in principle to the United Kingdom" was a guarantee of the vibrant, free debate necessary for a parliamentary democracy to exist and function. The attempt by the Alberta government to limit free media infringed that principle and was
ultra vires on that basis. This approach has come to be known as the "
implied bill of rights" theory of the Preamble. On appeal, the
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council agreed with the Supreme Court's rulings, but did not find it necessary to address the issue of an implied bill of rights under the Preamble.
Canadian federalism Inter-delegation Reference The Preamble was discussed in a later Supreme Court case, the
Inter-delegation Reference in 1950. The issue there was a proposal that the federal and provincial governments could delegate their legislative authority to each other. The Supreme Court unanimously held that they could not do so, because the nature of the federation was that the Constitution assigns particular subjects to each government. The governments could not change that allocation of subjects by means of delegation. One of the judges, Justice
Fauteux, cited the Preamble, as well as the Quebec Resolutions, in support of this conclusion:
Patriation Reference The Preamble was also cited in the
Patriation Reference of 1981, which considered whether the federal government's proposal to seek unilateral constitutional amendments from the British Parliament was constitutional. A majority of the Court held that as a matter of constitutional law, the federal government could proceed unilaterally. The Preamble's reference to federalism did not impose a legal restriction on the federal government. However, a differently-constituted majority in the same case held that as a matter of
constitutional convention, the federal government could not proceed unilaterally. There had to be substantial provincial agreement. The majority on convention cited the Preamble's reference to the federal principle in support of the constitutional convention.
Rule of law In
Re Manitoba Language Rights (1984-85), the Supreme Court unanimously relied on the Preambles to the
Constitution Act, 1867 and the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to provide a constitutional underpinning for the rule of law. The
Preamble to the Charter expressly recognises the rule of law. The Court held that the rule of law is also supported by the Preamble to the
Constitution Act, 1867, by means of the statement that Canada is to have a constitution "similar in principle" to that of the United Kingdom. The Court concluded that the rule of law is one of the foundational principles of the British constitution, and therefore the Preamble implicitly recognises the rule of law as a key provision of the Constitution of Canada.
Parliamentary privilege The Preamble also played a part in a major case on the relationship between
parliamentary privilege and the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms:
New Brunswick Broadcasting Co v Nova Scotia (Speaker of the House of Assembly) (1992-93). Speaking for the majority of the Court, Justice
McLachlin held that parliamentary privileges are a necessary component of the parliamentary system Canada inherited from the United Kingdom. Parliamentary privilege is therefore part of the Constitution by means of the Preamble's reference to a "constitution similar in principle to that of the United Kingdom". The majority concluded that the
Charter could not be used to override decisions taken by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, in the exercise of the Assembly's power to control access to its own proceedings.
Role of the Preamble Reference re Remuneration of Judges of the Provincial Court In 1997, the
Supreme Court of Canada gave a decision explaining and consolidating its case-law on the Preamble, in
Reference re Remuneration of Judges of the Provincial Court. The main issue before the Court was the financial security of the judiciary, which the Court held was a necessary component of
judicial independence, protected by the Preamble. Speaking for a majority of eight judges of the court, Chief Justice
Lamer summarised the Court’s jurisprudence on the Preamble: :* preambles can be used to identify the purpose of a statute, and also as an aid to construing ambiguous statutory language; :* the preamble to the
Constitution Act, 1867, is not only a key to construing the express provisions of the Act, but also invites the use of those organizing principles to fill out gaps in the express terms of the constitutional scheme; :* the Preamble's reference to the desire of the founding provinces "to be federally united into One Dominion" addresses the structure of the division of powers, while its reference to a "constitution similar in principle to that of the United Kingdom", indicates that the legal and institutional structure of constitutional democracy in Canada should be similar to that of the British legal regime out of which the Canadian constitution emerged; :* democratic governance and freedom of political speech are interdependent, and only Parliament can legislate limitations on political expression; :* the Preamble provides constitutional protection for
parliamentary privileges for Parliament and the provincial legislatures, to ensure that they can perform their functions free from interference by the Crown and the courts; :* the judicial independence of the courts is guaranteed; :* the Preamble points to the legal order that envelops and sustains Canadian society, which as stated in
Re Manitoba Language Rights is "an actual order of positive laws", guaranteed by the
rule of law; :*
paramountcy of federal laws is an example where the Supreme Court has inferred a basic rule of Canadian constitutional law despite the silence of the constitutional text; :* the doctrine of full faith and credit, which requires the courts of one province to recognize the decisions of the courts of another province, is another example where the Court has inferred a constitutional rule which is not found in express terms in the constitution.
Reference re Secession of Quebec In
Reference re Secession of Quebec (1998), the Court again commented on the nature of the Preamble. The unanimous judgment of the Court stated: The Court confirmed that the Preamble can be used as the basis for "filling of gaps in the express terms of the constitutional text". == Related provisions of the
Constitution Act, 1867 ==