Why don't more people realize this isn't a good thing?
Each year, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute recognizes a “Policy Maker of the Year”. Past recipients have included former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney and Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Development John Baird. One could argue that, while people in such positions are undoubtedly influential, there is another entity that is rarely acknowledged for its impact on policy yet in the last year has changed Canadian public policy in wide-reaching and long-lasting ways – the Supreme Court of Canada.
There are days I wake up yearning for the good old Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. But that's probably just me.
Well except that the Judicial Committee's decisions undermined the power of the federal gov't intended by the Dominion's founders in favour of the provinces--and look where we are now:
http://ualawccsprod.srv.ualberta.ca/ccs/index.php/i-o/523-judicial-committee-of-the-privy-council
Merry Christmas!
Mark
Ottawa
Posted by: markottawa | Thursday, December 18, 2014 at 03:40 PM
I think the JCPC did good work, the sort of hyper centralised state envisioned by the fathers of Confederation was not all that great an idea. Unfortunately the provincial viceroys were of a poor mettle after the Second World war, and did not stop things they should have. But that was the fault of the Dominion government which appoints them, not the JDCP.
As a fun constitutional what if? Could the JDCP be brought back?
Posted by: Leacock | Wednesday, December 24, 2014 at 12:36 AM