Canadian law The legal system of Canada is pluralist: its foundations lie in the English common law system (inherited from its period as a colony of the British Empire), the French civil law system (inherited from its French Empire past), and Indigenous ...

, the living tree doctrine () is a

doctrine Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief syste ...

of constitutional interpretation that says that a constitution is organic and must be read in a broad and progressive manner so as to adapt it to the changing times.

Concept

The living tree doctrine has been deeply entrenched into Canadian constitutional law since the seminal constitutional case of '' Edwards v Canada (Attorney General)'', also widely known as the ''Persons Case'', wherein Viscount Sankey stated in the 1929 decision: "The

British North America Act The British North America Acts 1867–1975 are a series of Acts of Parliament that were at the core of the constitution of Canada. Most were enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom and some by the Parliament of Canada. In Canada, some ...

planted in Canada a living tree capable of growth and expansion within its natural limits." This is known as the doctrine of progressive interpretation. This means that the Constitution cannot be interpreted in the same way as an ordinary statute. Rather, it must be read within the context of society to ensure that it adapts and reflects changes. If constitutional interpretation adheres only to the framers' intent and remains rooted in the past, the Constitution would not be reflective of society and would eventually fall into disuse. However, "natural limits" cannot be granted too elastic a definition. In the Marcotte trilogy, it was held that payments by

credit card A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) to enable the cardholder to pay a merchant for goods and services based on the cardholder's accrued debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the ...

could not be considered to fall within the federal

bills of exchange A negotiable instrument is a document guaranteeing the payment of a specific amount of money, either on demand, or at a set time, whose payer is usually named on the document. More specifically, it is a document contemplated by or consisting of a ...

power, as there had been no shift in how a bill of exchange is defined in Canada.

Charter

The interpretation of the ''

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms The ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms'' (french: Charte canadienne des droits et libertés), often simply referred to as the ''Charter'' in Canada, is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada, forming the first part ...

'' also makes use of the living tree doctrine. Chief Justice

Antonio Lamer Joseph Antonio Charles Lamer (July 8, 1933 – November 24, 2007) was a Canadian lawyer, jurist and the 16th Chief Justice of Canada. Career Lamer practised in partnership at the firm of Cutler, Lamer, Bellemare and Associates and was a full ...

stated in ''

Re B.C. Motor Vehicle Act ''Reference Re BC Motor Vehicle Act'', 9852 SCR 486, was a landmark reference submitted to the Supreme Court of Canada regarding the constitutionality of the British Columbia ''Motor Vehicle Act''. The decision established one of the first princip ...

'', "If the newly planted 'living tree' which is the Charter is to have the possibility of growth and adjustment over time, care must be taken to ensure that historical materials, such as the Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence of the Special Joint Committee, do not stunt its growth."

Outside Canada

United States

In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

there is also a philosophy of a

living constitution The Living Constitution, or judicial pragmatism, is the viewpoint that the United States Constitution holds a dynamic meaning that evolves and adapts to new circumstances even if the document is not formally amended. The Constitution is said ...

. The idea of the living constitution is similar to the living tree doctrine; both philosophies assert that the constitution of their respective countries should reflect the current mores and values of society. This view point is in contrast with constitutional originalism, which is the belief that the

constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nati ...

is to be interpreted in a way that reflects the original meaning when it was written.

United Kingdom

In a 2011 speech,

Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond Brenda Marjorie Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, (born 31 January 1945) is a British judge who served as President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom from 2017 until her retirement in 2020, and serves as a member of the House of Lords ...

used the terminology of the ''living tree'' in a somewhat controversial discussion of the

European Convention of Human Rights The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR; formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is an international convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by th ...

, describing it as a more "vivid image" than the "living instrument" doctrine used in relation to the Convention.

External links

The Canadian Doctrine of the Living Tree

References

Constitution of Canada Legal doctrines and principles {{Canada-law-stub