updated and corrections / mise à jour et corrections: 27 August 2009

by / par ©François Lareau, 2008, Ottawa, Canada
First posted on the internet/Publié pour la première fois sur l'internet: 19 April 2008

Bibliography on the Doctrine of Vagueness and
Overbreadth in Canadian Criminal Law
-------------------------
Bibliographie sur la théorie de
l'imprécision et de la portée excessive
en droit pénal canadien
 

BEAUDOUIN, Gérald-A., "Nova Scotia Pharmaceutical Society Case", in The Canadian Encyclopedia, available at http://www.encyclopediecanadienne.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0009178 (accessed on 14 April 2008); also published in French / aussi publié en français: "Affaire de la Nova Scotia Pharmaceutical Society(1992)"  dans L'Encyclopédie canadiennne, disponible à http://www.encyclopediecanadienne.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=f1ARTf0009178 (vérifié le 14 avril 2008);

"The facts to be considered when deciding whether a provision is vague are the following: (a) the need for flexibility and the role of courts in interpreting the law; (b) the impossibility of absolute precision, a standard of intelligibility being preferable; and (c) the possibility that a given provision may be susceptible to a number of interpretations which can co-exist."

"Les facteurs à considérer pour déterminer si une disposition est imprécise sont les suivants : la nécessité de la souplesse et le rôle des tribunaux en matière d'interprétation; l'impossibilité de la précision absolue, une norme d'intelligibilité étant préférable; et la possibilité qu'une disposition donnée soit susceptible de nombreuses interprétations qui peuvent même coexister."

BEAULAC, Stéphane, "Les bases constitutionnelles de la théorie de l'imprécision: partie d'une précaire dynamique globale de la Charte" (1995) 55 Revue du Barreau 257-293; voir la Table des matières aux   pp. 257-258;

okBERG, David, "Vagueness and Impossibility in Probation Conditions", (1996) 38 The Criminal Law Quaterly 472-494;

BERNATCHEZ, Stéphane, "Les traces du débat sur la légitimité de la justice constitutionnelle dans la jurisprudence de la Cour suprême du Canada",  (2005-2206) 36(1-2) Revue de droit Université de Sherbrooke 165-288, et voir "La théorie de l'imprécision" aux pp. 229-234;
 

BIENVENU, P., "La nullité pour imprécision: émergence et  perspectives d'avenir en droit constitutionnel canadien", dans, sous la direction de Formation permanente du Bareau, Développements récents en droit administratif (1992), Cowansville, Éditions Yvon Blais, 1992, pp. 93-119; 
 

BUR, D.F. and J.K. Kehoe, "Developments in Constitutional Law: The 1991-92 Term", (1993) 4 The Supreme Court Law Review 49-76, and see "Precision  -- Requirements of Section 7 and 11?", at pp. 158-168; reviews R. v. Nova Scotia Pharmaceutical Society;

BUTLER, Andrew S., "A Presumption of Statutory Conformity with the Charter", (1993-94) 19 Queen's Law Journal  209-247;

CAMERON, Jamie, "[Syllabus] -- Fundamental Justice and the Charter -- Fall 1999", and see "Class 5: October 4: Vagueness and Overbreadth", available at http://www.yorku.ca/jcameron/fundamental.htm (accessed on 14 April 2008);

COLVIN, Eric, 1945- and  Sanjeev Singh Anand, 1970-, Principles of criminal law, 3rd ed., Toronto : Thomson Carswell, c2007, li, 599 p., and see "Vagueness and Overbreadth", at pp. 391-397, ISBN:  9780779813247;

CÔTÉ, Pierre-André, "Le règlement municipal indéterminé", (1973) 33 Revue du Barreau 474-485;

    "Nous qualifions d'indéterminé le règlement municipal dont la lecture n'infome pas de façon suffisamment claire et immédiatement le citoyen quant aux droits ou obligations que le règlement veut lui conférer ou lui imposer.  Le règlement indéterminé emprunte, dans la jurisprudence, deux formes bien distinctes.  Tantôt, il s'agit d'un règlement où le Conseil municipal se réserve à lui-même le pouvoir discrétionnaire de décider des droits ou obligations des administrés  ou encore où le Conseil attribue à un tiers un tel pouvoir.  Tantôt, il s'agit de règlements rédigés de façon telle que le citoyen auquel il s'adresse n'est pas en mesure de déterminer de façon précise la nature des droits ou obligations qui découlent pour lui de ce règlement." (p. 474)
 

CRAMPTON, Paul S. and Joel T. Kissack, "Recent Developments in Conspiracy Law and Enforcement: New Risks and Opportunities", (1992-93) 38 McGill Law Journal 569-619;  see summary/sommaire at/à http://lawjournal.mcgill.ca/abs/vol38/3cramp.html  (accessed on 27 March 2008);
 

Criminal Code -- Annotated codes used by practioners/ Code criminel -- codes criminels annotés utilisés par les practiciens

    in English (published every year) /en anglais:

GOLD, Allan D., The Practioner's Criminal Code, Markham, Ont.: LexisNexis Canada, 2008;

GREENSPAN, Edward L. and Marc Rosenberg, annotations by, Martin's Annual Criminal Code 2008, Aurora: Canada Law Book Inc.;

WATT, David and Michelle Fuerst, annotations by, The 2008 Annotated Tremeear's Criminal Code, Toronto: Carswell, A Thomson Company;

COURNOYER, Guy et Gilles Ouimet, Code criminel annoté 2008, Cowansville: Éditions Yvon Blais, une société Thomson; note: législation bilingue/bilingual legislation;

CULVER, Keith C., "Varieties of vagueness", (Winter 2004) 54(1) University of Toronto Law Journal 109-127; available at http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/university_of_toronto_law_journal/v054/54.1culver.pdf (accessed on 26 March 2008)
 

DANIELS, Jonathan, "Valid Despite Vagueness: The Relationship Between Vagueness and Shifting Objective", (1994) 58 Saskatchewan Law Review 101-138;

DUMAIS, Catherine, "La Cour suprême du Canada et l'imprécision: quand l'avertissement raisonnable devient sympolique", (2005-2006) 36(1-2) Revue de droit Université de Sherbrooke 289-307; disponible à http://www.usherbrooke.ca/droit/fileadmin/sites/droit/documents/RDUS/volume_36/36-12-dumais.pdf (vérifié le 27 août 2009);

FOX-DECENT, Evan, Review, "Limiting Arbitrary Power: The Vagueness Doctrine in Canadian Constitutional Law.  Marc Ribeiro", (Spring 2005) 30(2) Queen's Law Journal 923-937; available at  SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1090295  (accessed on 26 March 2008);
 

GARANT, Patrice, "Le contrôle juridictionnel de l'imprécision des textes législatifs et réglementaires au Canada", in L'état de droit : mélanges en l'honneur  de Guy Braibant, Paris: Dalloz, 1996, xxix, 817 p., aux pp. 275-291, ISBN: 2247021956; titre noté dans mes recherches mais article non consulté; aucune copie de ce livre dans les bibliothèques de la région d'Ottawa, selon le catalogue AMICUS de la Bibliothèque et Archives Canada (vérification du 12 mars 2008);

___________"L'imprécision en droit administratif et en droit constitutionnel: un défi à l'inteligence moyenne", (1993) 4 National Journal of Constitutional Law 75-99;
 

___________"Prévention du terrorisme et principe de justice fondamentale", in David Daubney ... [et al.], Terrorism, Law & Democracy:: how is Canada changing  following September 11? / Terrorisme, droit & démocratie: comment le Canada a-t-il changé après le 11 septembre?, Montréal: Éditions Thémis, 2002, xiii, 412 p., at  pp. 271-306, et voir "La définition du crime de terrorisme (art. 83) est-elle constitutionnellement imprécise ou de portée excessive?", aux pp. 294-297; "NOTES: Actes d'une conférence organisée par l'Institut canadien d'administration de la justice et tenue à Montréal, Québec les 25-26 mars 2002;  disponible à http://www.ciaj-icaj.ca/english/publications/DP2002/GARANT_Patrice.pdf et pour voir le livre dans son ensemble http://www.ciaj-icaj.ca/english/publications/dp2002.html (vérifiés le 15 avril 2008);

___________"Vie, liberté, sécurité et justice fondamentale (Article 7)", (2005) 28 The Supreme Court Law Review 267-426, voir "La théorie de l'imprécision", aux pp. 343-356;

GARTON, Graham,  Canadian Charter of Rights Decisions Digest, and see "Vagueness and Overbreadth", under s. 1 and s. 7; available at http://canlii.org/en/ca/charter_digest/index.html important contribution; also available in French / aussi disponible en français: GARTON, Graham, Recueuil de décisions relatives à la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés, et voir "Imprécision et portée excessive" sous les articles 1 et 7, disponible à http://canlii.org/fr/ca/commentaires_charte/index.html (vérifié le 12 avril 2008);
 

GOLD, Alan D., Criminal offences and defences, contributed by Alan D. Gold: contributing editor, Andrew James, contributor editor, Brendon Lounsbery, Markham (Ontario): LexisNexis Canada, 2007, 1034 p., and see "Vagueness and Overbreadth", at pp.881-882 (series; Halsbury's Laws of Canada), ISBN: 9780433454267;

___________"Notes and Comments: Charter of Rights - Vagueness [R. v. Nova Scotia Pharmaceutical Society, (1992), 93 D.L.R. (4th) 36, 43 C.P.R. (3d) 1 (S.C.C.)]",  (1993) 35 The Criminal Law Quaterly 18-20;

GRAHAM, Randall N.M., "Right Theory, Wrong Reasons: Dynamic Interpretation, the Charter and 'Fundamental Laws", (2006) 24 The Supreme Court Law Review 2nd ed. 169-226;
 

HENNIGAR, Matthew, "Review: Limiting arbitrary power : The vagueness doctrine in Canadian constitutional law, by Marc Ribeiro, Vancouver: UBC Press, 2004, 256 pp. Harcover...", (November 2004), 14(11) Law and Politics Book Review (electronic publication of the Law and Courts Section of the American Political Science Association) 882-888, available at http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/lpbr/subpages/reviews/ribeiro1104.htm (accessed on 25 March 2008);

HOGG, Peter, Constitutional Law of Canada, fifth edition supplemented, Scarborough (Ontario): Thomson/Carswell, 2007, 2 volumes, and see vol. 2, "47.15 Overbroad laws", at pp. 47-52 to 47-57 and "47.18 Vague laws", at pp. 57-60 to 47-65,  ISBN: 978-0-7798-13377 (loose-leaf); copy at the Library of the Supreme Court of Canada, KF 4482 H63 2007;
 

HUPPÉ, Luc, "Chroniques - Droit constitutionnel - La fonction des lois et la théorie de l'imprécision", (1992) 52 Revue du Barreau 831-839 [traite de l'arrêt R. c. Nova Scotia Pharmaceutical Society, [1992] 2 R.C.S. 606];

JODOUIN, André, "La Charte canadienne et la nouvelle légalité", in The Honourable Gérald- A. Beaudouin and Errol Mendes, eds., The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 3rd ed., Scarborough (Ontario): Carswell - Thomson Professional Publishing, 1996, chapter 13, at pp. 13-1 to 13-32,

KEYES, John Mark, 1955-, Executive legislation: delegated law making by the executive branch, Markham (Ont.): Butterworths, 1992, lviii, 308 p., and see Chapter 12, "Uncertainty", at pp. 235-252, ISBN: 0409899402;

KLOEPFER, Stephen, "Ambiguity and Vagueness in the Criminal Law: An Analysis of Types", (1984-85) 27 The Criminal Law Quarterly 94-128;

LAMER, Antonio, "Foreword" in Marc Ribeiro, Limiting arbitrary power : The vagueness doctrine in Canadian constitutional law With a foreword by the Right Honourable Antonio Lamer..., infra, at pp. vii-viii;
 

Le BEL, Michel, 1952-, La doctrine constitutionelle américaine de l'imprésicion ("void-for-vagueness"): éléments constitutifs et fondements constitutionnels, thèse LL.M., Université de Montréal, 1991, viii, 306 p.; titre noté dans mes recherches mais thèse non consulté (14 April 2008); voir le sommaire et la Table des matières (permission accordée par Me Le Bel, 29 septembre 2008);
 

LITKOWSKI, Richard, "The Charter and the Principles of Criminal Responsibility: A Long and Winding Road", in Jamie Cameron, ed., The Charter's Impact on the Criminal Justice System, Scarborough: Carswell (Thomson Canada Limited), 1996, xxvi, 448 p., chapter 14, pp. 271-292 ISBN: 0459553887, at pp. 271-292 [1. General Principles of Fault; 2. Drunkenness and Criminal Responsibility; 3. Mental Disorder and the Charter: (a) The presumption of sanity and the presumption of innocence; (b) Raising the issue of mental disorder; 4. Vagueness; 5. Conclusion"]; "Vagueness" is dealt at pp. 289-291;
 

MacINTOSH, Donald. "The Vagueness Doctrine and Overbreadth: A Comment on Canada v. Pharmaceutical Society (Nova Scotia)", (1992)  2  National Journal of Constitutional Law 242-248;
 

MacKAY, Ejan, 1943-, "Les notions floues en droit : ou,  L'économie de  l'imprécision", [s.l. : s.n., 19--],  pp. 33-50; copie à l'Université de Montréal, BXZD/M153n;. titre noté dans mes recherches mais document non consulté (16 avril 2008);
 

MITCHELL, Graeme G., "Significant Developments in Criminal Charter Jurisprudence in 1992", (1993) 57 Saskatchewan Law Review 59-103, and see "Doctrine of Void for Vagueness" at pp. 65-67;

 
OUELLETTE, Yves, Chroniques régulières, Droit public, Droit professionnel, "L'imprécision des codes de déontologie professionnelle", (1977) 37 Revue du Barreau 669-671;
 

PÉPIN, Gilles, "La nullité des lois et règlements pour cause d'imprécision: une norme unique ou deux normes distinctes de contrôle?", (1996) 56 Revue du Barreau 643-677;

RIBEIRO, Marc, 1974-, Limiting arbitrary power : The vagueness doctrine in Canadian constitutional law With a foreword by the Right Honourable Antonio Lamer..., Vancouver : UBC Press, 2004, x, 203 p., ISBN:  07784810505; limited preview available at http://books.google.com/books?id=EJ3TDYwq2jEC&pg=PP1&dq=%22+Limiting+arbitrary+power
+:+The+vagueness+doctrine+%22&lr=&as_brr=0&ei=EHvpR-DWJ4PqiQGE653iBA&sig=Nn_QuqQYbMyAUxlVLV6Yt7fsW3o  and  http://books.google.com/books?id=EJ3TDYwq2jEC&dq=%22+Limiting+arbitrary+power+:+The+vagueness+doctrine+%22&lr=&as_brr=0&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 (accessed on 25 March 2008);

"Contents

    Foreword / vii
    Acknowledgments / ix
    Introduction / 1

1  The Principle of Legality / 10
2  The Rule of Law / 39
3  The Content of the Vagueness Doctrine / 70
4  The Place of the Vagueness Doctrine in the Charter / 125
    Conclusion / 156
    Notes / 162
    Bibliography / 191
    Index / 201" (p.iv)
 

___________ The vagueness doctrine in Canadian Constitutional law: a balance approach, Thesis (D.Jur.), Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, 2001, xvi, 371 p.;

[Abstract]  "This dissertation explores the void-for-vagueness doctrine in Canadian constitutional law. Vague laws are constitutionally suspect because they fail to provide "fair notice" to citizens as to what the law prescribes and also because they increase the discretionary powers of law-enforcing authorities. In order to understand the operation of this contemporary doctrine it is useful to explore first some other related principles which possess deeper roots in our legal tradition. Among these principles, legality and the rule of law represent key elements, as they are closely related to the ideals of "fair notice" and "limitation of law-enforcement discretion" which both lie at the core of the vagueness doctrine. The principle of legality condemns the 'ex post facto' creation of penal law in order to avoid "unfair surprise" for citizens. This principle is protected under s. 11('g') of the ‘Charter'. As for the rule of law, it is an "unwritten principle" of the Constitution which favours pre-established rules overgrants of discretionary powers in order to protect citizens from arbitrary government. After an analysis of legality and the rule of law in general, this thesis undertakes a specific study of the contents of the vagueness doctrine. The Supreme Court of Canada has put forward a general test for determining the validity of legislation under the doctrine. A law will be upheld provided it offers merely a "basis for legal debate". This same permissive test has been declared to be applicable to all laws,whether civil, administrative, penal or other. This dissertation draws from the principles of legality and the rule of law to argue that, although this "legal debate" test may be appropriate for some laws, another, more demanding approach may be more appropriate in other circumstances. Thus, particularly in relation to coercive enactments such as penal laws, as well as in relation to statutes which could easily have been rafted more precisely without impinging on the legislative objectives, a stricter approach may be more suitable. The thesis then suggests some techniques which could help achieve greater certainty in egislative drafting without compromising the needed   flexibility in law. This dissertation also studies the    appropriate place of the vagueness doctrine in the context of the 'Charter'. To this day, the doctrine has not yet been granted an autonomous status for invalidating legislation. This means that it mustalways be invoked in conjunction with another 'Charter' right in order to become applicable. In this manner, vagueness can sometimes be applied in conjunction with the related doctrine of overbreadth. This dissertation examines the different situations in which vagueness can be applicable and also explores future avenues which could broaden the doctrine's applicability." (Source: AMICUS catalogue's entry, Library and Archives Canada)

ROACH, Kent, 1961-, Criminal Law, 3rd ed., Toronto: Irwin Law, 2004, xx, 421 p. (series; essentials of Canadian Law), ISBN:155221091X;

ROGERSON, Carol, "The Judicial Search for Appropriate Remedies Under the Charter: The Examples of Overbreadth and Vagueness", in R.J. Sharpe, ed., Charter Litigation, Toronto, Butterworths, 1987, xxxii, 417 p., at pp. 233-306, ISBN: 0409805527

ROSENBERG, Marc, "Charter Review" in Materials presented at The National Criminal Law Program on Substantive Law in July 1993, University de Montréal discusses the vagueness doctrine, as stated by  LITKOWSKI, supra, p. 290, note 60;
 

ROSS, June. "R. v. Heywood: Overbreadth in the Law or in the Judgment?", (1994-95) 6 Constitutional Forum 88-95;
 

RUSSO, V. Gordo, Robert M and Pue, Wesley, "The Problem of Official Discretion in Anti-Terrorism Law: Comment on Khawajah" (November 13, 2007), available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1029735 (accessed on 14 April 2008);

SALEMBIER, J. Paul (John Paul), 1955-, Regulatory Law and Practice in Canada, Markham (Ontario): LexisNexis/Butterworths, 2004, xv, 447 p., see "Uncertainty", at pp. 340-350, ISBN: 0433443294; copy at the University of Ottawa, KE 5024 .S24 2004; copy at the Library of the Supreme Court of Canada, KF5411 S25 2004;

SIMARD, Jeanne, "L'interprétation législative au Canada: la théorie à l'épreuve de la pratique", (2001) 35(3) Revue juridique Thémis 549-661; disponible à http://www.themis.umontreal.ca/pdf/rjtvol35num3/simard.pdf (vérifié le 27 mars 2008);

STUART, Don, 1943-, "Annotation: R. v. Heywood, (1995) 34 C.R. (4th) 133  (S.C.C.)", (1995) 34 Criminal Reports (4th) 135-136;
 

___________"Annotation: R. v. Lindsay, (2004) 20 C.R. (6th) 376 (Ont. Superior Court of Justice, Fuerst, J.)", (2004) 20 Criminal Reports (6th) 378-379;

___________"Annotation: Luscher v. Dep. Min. Revenue Can., Customs & Excise, (1985) 45 C.R. (3d) 81 (Federal Court of Appeal)", (1985) 45 Criminal Reports (3d) 81-82;
 

___________Canadian Criminal Law: A Treatise, 5th ed., Scarborough (Ontario): Thomson Carswell,  2007, xix, 815 p., ISBN: 9780779812943;
 

___________"The Canadian Void for Vagueness Doctrine Arrives with No Teeth", (1990) 77 Criminal Reports (3d) 101-109;
 

___________Charter Justice in Canadian Criminal Law, 4th ed., Toronto: Thomson Carswell, 2005, lxiv, 604 p., ISBN: 0459242954;

___________“Hall:  The Ontario Court of Appeal Ducks Broader Issues in Upholding the New Public Interest Bail Provision” (2000), 35 C.R. (5th) 219-221;

SULLIVAN, Ruth, 1946-, Driedger on the Construction of Statutes, 3rd ed. by, Toronto and Vancouver: Butterworths, 1994, lxxxiv, 576 p., and see "Interpretations give meaning to vague terms", at pp. 479-480, ISBN: 040980536X;
 

Supreme Court of Canada decisions / Arrêts de la Cour suprême du Canada 

***use the search engine and keys words / utilisez le moteur de recherche avec les mots clés: http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/index.html

- Canadian Foundation for Children, Youth and the Law v. Canada (Attorney General), [2004] 1 S.C.R. 76; Lexum  and CanLII

- Ontario v. Canadian Pacific Ltd., [1995] 2 S.C.R. 1028; Lexum and CanLII

- R. v. Demers, [2004] 2 S.C.R. 489;  Lexum and CanLII

- R. v. Heywood, [1994] 3 S.C.R. 761; Lexum  and CanLII

- R. v. Hall,  [2002] 3 S.C.R. 309; Lexum and  CanLII

- R. v. Morales [1992] 3 S.C.R. 711; Lexum and  CanLII

- R. v. Nova Scotia Pharmaceutical Society, [1992] 2 S.C.R. 606;  Lexum and CanLII 

- R. v. Sharpe, [2001] 1 S.C.R. 45; Lexum and CanLII

- Reference re ss. 193 and 195.1(1)(c) of the Criminal Code (Man.), [1990] 1 S.C.R. 1123; Lexum  and  CanLII

- Suresh v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2002] 1 S.C.R. 3; Lexum and CanLII

- Winko v. British Columbia (Forensic Psychiatric Institute), [1999] 2 S.C.R. 625; Lexum and  CanLII
 

TROTTER, Garry T., "Lebeau: Toward a Canadian Vagueness Doctrine", (1988) 62 Criminal Reports (3d) 183-192;
 

___________"Pearson and Morales: Distilling the Right to Bail", (1993) 17 Criminal Reports (4th) 150-160 [two cases by the S.C.C.; it "upheld the constitutional validity of the reverse onus provision in ss. 515(6)(a) and (d) but struck down the public interest intent component of the secondary ground in s. 515(10)(b) as being void for vagueness"];
 

VAN DIEEN, Jodie, "The 20th Anniversary of the Charter:  Developments in Criminal Law Under Section 7 of the Charter", (2002) 21 The Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice 129-151, and see "The Vagueness Doctrine", at pp. 138-141;

VIOLETTE, Anouk, "Précisions sur la théorie de l'imprécision en matière constitutionnelle", (2003) 63 Revue du Barreau 103-125; disponible à  http://www.barreau.qc.ca/pdf/publications/revue/2003-tome-63-1-p103.pdf (vérifié le 26 mars 2006); aussi disponible à  à http://www.ogilvyrenault.com/fr/ResourceCenter/ResourceCenterDetails.aspx?id=133&pId=7 (vérifié le 27 mars 2008);