Overview

This text-workbook provides a broad map of Canadian law and its subdivisions. Without burdening the student with excessive detail, Foundations of Criminal and Civil Law in Canada introduces the commonly accepted categories of the law — criminal and civil, common law and statute, substantive law and procedure — providing an overall picture of the legal context. Basic research technique, statute theory, and the system of precedent are introduced, as are the processes by which laws are created, amended, and revised. An excellent introductory resource for nearly any college or university course of legal study, this book lays a solid foundation for advanced and specialized courses.

Nora Rock is an experienced legal writer with a law degree from the University of Toronto. She enjoys making legal subjects accessible to the lay reader and has collaborated on several texts in Emond Montgomery’s Working With the Law college text series. Valerie Hoag practised litigation for over 16 years, appearing in front of various courts and tribunals in Ontario. She now teaches law courses full-time in the LASA/PF Program at Conestoga College ITAL.

Top ∧Features

• Offers easy-to-understand language with less legalese than the previous edition
• Resequences chapters placing discussion of the Charter before the discussion of criminal law, so that students better understand the references to the Charter in the chapters on criminal law
• Modernizes examples by referencing current events
• Provides expanded sections on constitutional law and civil litigation
• Updates the definitions in the glossary
• Features updated information on the Youth Criminal Justice Act
• Includes new coverage of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
• Updates the section on citations
• Discusses the parameters of detention and searches by police, citing the Mann case
• Addresses the recent changes made to same-sex marriage legislation in Ontario and other Canadian jurisdictions
• Meets the learning objectives of introductory criminal and civil law courses, in a manner that works well over a one-semester course
• Instructor's Resources
  • Includes an instructor’s guide that includes teaching tips and answers to review and discussion questions

Top ∧Content Summary

Part I: Introduction to Law, Function, and Structure

Part II: Introduction to Constitutional Law

Part III: Basic Principles of Criminal Law and Procedure

PART IV: Introduction to Civil Law Disciplines

Appendix A: Abbreviations of Case and Statute Reporters
Appendix B: Case Brief
Appendix C: The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Glossary
Index