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Alexandra Robbins

PM Trudeau Appoints the Honourable Mary Moreau to the SCC

Roughly four months after Brown J.’s resignation from the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”), Prime Minister Trudeau has announced his appointment of the Honourable Mary Moreau to Canada’s highest court.

Jurisdiction Confusion: The SCC to Clarify the Federal and Tax Courts' Roles in Taxation Law in Dow Chemical Canada

The Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) will soon comment on the jurisdictional contours of the Tax Court of Canada (“TCC”) and Federal Court of Canada (“FCC”). The SCC has granted leave to appeal in Canada v Dow Chemical Canada ULC, 2022 FCA 70 [Dow Chemical Canada], where the Federal Court of Appeal (“FCA”) ruled that s. 247(10) of the Income Tax Act, RSC 1985, c 1 (5th Supp) [ITA] is not within the exclusive jurisdiction of the TCC (Dow Chemical Canada, para 5).

Arbitration and Court-Ordered Receiverships: The SCC Strikes a Delicate Balance in Peace River

For the sake of conciseness, this case comment excludes discussion of Justice Jamal’s concurring opinion. If interested, please refer to the original case for further information. Arbitration law and bankruptcy and insolvency law are often said to be at odds with one another. The former rests upon principles of party autonomy and freedom of contract, […]

A New Correctness Category: The SCC Departs from Vavilov in SOCAN

The first installment of this post addressed the statutory interpretation question in Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada v Entertainment Software Association, 2022 SCC 30 [SOCAN]. The entire court was in agreement on the issue, and this was unsurprising given the Copyright Board of Canada's (the "Board") blatant departure from the well-settled […]

Double Royalties or Users' Rights? The SCC Interprets the Copyright Act in SOCAN

In Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada v Entertainment Software Association, 2022 SCC 30 [SOCAN], the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) heard an appeal from the Federal Court of Appeal (“FCA”). The case turned on the interpretation of s. 2.4(1.1) of the Copyright Act, RSC 1985, c C-42 [the Act].

Warrantless Searches in the Home: The Court Deals a Blow to Privacy in R v Stairs

In R v Stairs, 2022 SCC 11 [Stairs], the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) attempted to balance privacy rights and law enforcement objectives. The court addressed the question of when, and under what circumstances, officers can search an arrested person’s home without a warrant. The unsettling answer is: more often than you would expect.