This course is an updated version of a course that ran in the Spring of 2024. It aims to provide participants with a working knowledge of Canada’s Constitution, using specific controversies as windows into its inner workings, rules, and principles. Key controversies that will be considered during this year’s course include: Indigenous self-government; the freedom convoy (and the federal government’s response); intergovernmental disputes over carbon pricing and other environmental issues; the notwithstanding clause; and provincial sovereignty/secession movements.
Instructor: Richard Mailey
Dr. Richard Mailey (LLB LLM PhD) is the Director of the Centre for Constitutional Studies (CCS), which is a research and public education centre housed at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Law. Richard completed his LLB and LLM degrees at the University of Glasgow (Scotland) and his PhD in law at the University of Luxembourg. He has taught university courses in law, political science, and sociology. His research interests include the notwithstanding clause, and the extent to which constitutional rights bind private actors (as opposed to just the state). In his capacity as CCS director, he edits two constitutional law journals, organizes public events and conferences, and oversees public education projects, such as the Centre’s various podcast miniseries.
