La Cour suprême du Canada peut-elle répondre à une pure question de droit international dans le cadre du renvoi sur la sécession unilatérale du Québec ?

Dans le Renvoi sur la sécession unilatérale du Québec, la Cour suprême du Canada est invitée dans la deuxième question à déterminer si le Québec possède, en vertu du droit international, le droit de procéder à la sécession unilatérale. L’auteur est d’avis qu’il s’agit là d’une pure question de droit international à laquelle la Cour n’a pas la compétence de répondre. Se fondant sur les textes juridiques à l’origine de la Cour, sur la distinction entre les tribunaux de droit interne et de droit international et sur la jurisprudence de la Cour, il conclut que la Cour peut recourir au droit international uniquement aux fins d’interpréter le droit interne ou d’en combler les lacunes. Il démontre ensuite que la deuxième question du renvoi ne relève que du droit international et échappe ainsi à la compétence de la Cour.In the second question on the Reference on the unilateral secession of Québec, the Supreme Court of Canada is asked to determine if Québec possesses in international law a right to secede unilaterally. The author believes that this is a pure question of international law to which the Court is not competent to answer. Basing his argument on the legal texts at the origin of the Court, on the distinction between domestic and international tribunals and on the jurisprudence of the Court, he concludes that the Court can have recourse to international law only to interpret domestic law or complete its gaps. He then proceeds to demonstrate that the second question of the Reference is only concerned with international law and that consequently the Court is not competent to answer it

Le droit à l’instruction en français dans les provinces canadiennes à majorité anglophone : le statut des enfants de parents immigrés

Dans chaque province et territoire canadien, l’article 23 de la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés garantit un droit à l’instruction primaire et secondaire dans la langue de la minorité francophone ou anglophone de cette province ou territoire. Toutefois, ce droit n’est conféré qu’à certaines catégories de personnes dont sont exclus, entre autres, les non citoyens. Depuis quelque temps, certaines provinces à majorité anglophone étudient la possibilité et l’avantage de modifier leur législation scolaire afin d’accorder le droit à l’instruction en français à tous les immigrants et immigrantes dont la première langue au Canada est le français. Dans le texte qui suit l’auteur suggère qu’une telle modification ne serait pas contraire à l’article 23.In every Canadian province and territory, section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees a right to receive primary and secondary school instruction in the language of the French or English linguistic minorities of that province or territory. However, this right is conferred only upon specific categories of persons from which are excluded, among others, non-citizens. Recently, some provinces with an English majority population have given some thought to the possibility and desirability of amending their school legislation in order to grant a right to French instruction to all immigrants whose first language in Canada is French. In this article the author suggests that such an amendment would not be contrary to section 23

The Law and Policy of Biofuels

At the most recent meeting of G7 countries, the leaders of some of the most powerful economies in the world agreed to "decarbonize" the global economy by 2100. Following in the footsteps of nascent initiatives at the national, regional and international levels, this was an additional signal that the search will be ongoing over the coming decades to find an alternative to fossil fuels as a source of energy. There are many contenders, but there is no certainty as to which will emerge as the new dominant energy source. The biofuel sector was early "out of the gate" in the race for a renewable substitute to fossils fuels, but the growth of this sector, as has been the case for competing alternatives, has raised a number of concerns and questions. The IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, a network of close to 200 law schools around the world that pursue teaching and research in environmental law, took note, early on in its existence, of the simultaneous as well as accelerating development of policies and laws in various countries on the topic. Given the dearth of law and governance analysis of biofuels policies, the Academy, with the generous financial support of the Law Foundation of Ontario and the University of Ottawa, organized a number of workshops over the years that have allowed it to identify experts in the area and to facilitate exchanges between them. This book is a direct result of these efforts as experts from around the world take an in-depth look at the challenges and opportunities emerging as the biofuels sector expands. The chapters consider the role of policies and laws, as support for, and control over, this sector. As analysis of policies and laws cuts across many disciplines, the editors invited contributions by experts from many different fields. The contributions are wide-ranging, in terms of themes and geography

Climate Law and Developing Countries : Legal and Policy Challenges for the World Economy

This timely book examines the legal and policy challenges in international, regional and national settings, faced by developing countries in mitigating and adapting to climate change. With contributions from over twenty international scholars from developing and developed countries, the book tackles both long-standing concerns and current controversies. It considers the positions of developing countries in the negotiation of a new international legal regime to replace the Kyoto Protocol and canvasses various domestic issues, including implementation of CDM projects, governance of adaptation measures and regulation of the biofuels industry. Through a unique focus on the developing world, this book makes a significant contribution to understanding current challenges and future directions of climate law.https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/faculty_books/1023/thumbnail.jp