2020 Canadian Constitutional Report

Zhou, Han-Ru & Daphné Pomerleau-Normandin, "Canada" in R. Albert et al. (eds.), 2020 Global Review of Constitutional Law (I•CONnect et Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy, 2021) 49-53

In March 2020, Canada entered the pandemic with the only national minority government under a Westminster parliamentary system. As the government is heading past the average length of a federal minority government, which is less than two years, it appears that the pandemic has afforded the country an unusual degree of political stability under these circumstances and is helping the government go on with its business largely unconcerned by the threat of a non-confidence vote. A different sort of ‘business as usual’ could also be observed at the Supreme Court. There, the heightened divisiveness between the justices in recent years seems to have continued in the notable constitutional cases of 2020, three of which are discussed in this report.

This content has been updated on 26 May 2023 at 12 h 59 min.