Aboriginal Law - Leading Court Decisions

The legal context on Aboriginal matters continues to evolve. The inclusion of protections for Aboriginal and treaty rights in the Constitution Act (1982) (Links to S. 35 of the Constitution Act) has led to a growing number of decisions that influence the context and manner in which governments address Aboriginal issues.

Some of the leading cases on Aboriginal law originated in Nova Scotia and provide some direction on the nature of Aboriginal and treaty rights in Nova Scotia. These cases include Simon v. the Queen in 1985, R. v. Marshall (Marshall I and II) in 1999 and more recently R. v. Marshall ; R. v. Bernard (Marshall, Bernard) in 2005.

Courts across the country are frequently called upon to adjudicate legal issues of importance in the area of aboriginal law. What follows is a list of some of the leading Canadian and Nova Scotian cases in this area of the law.

Calder v. Attorney-General of British Columbia , [1973] S.C.R. 313:

Cardina l v. Attorney-General of Alberta , [1974] S.C.R. 695:

Guerin v. The Queen , [1984] 2 S.C.R. 335:

Simon v. The Queen , [1985] 2 S.C.R. 387:

R. v. Sioui , [1990] 1 S.C.R. 1025:

R. v. Sparrow , [1990] 1 S.C.R. 1075:

R. v. Van der Peet , [1996] 2 S.C.R. 507:

R. v. Gladstone , [1996] 2 S.C.R. 723:

Delgamuukw v. British Columbia , [1997] 3 S.C.R. 1010:

R. v. Sundown , [1999] 1 S.C.R. 393:

R. v. Marshall , [1999] 3 S.C.R. 456 (" Marshall 1 "):

R. v. Marshall , [1999] 3 S.C.R. 533 (" Marshall 2 "):

Osoyoos Indian Band v. Oliver (Town), [2001] 3 S.C.R. 746:

R. v. Powley , [2003] 2 S.C.R. 207:

Haida Nation v. British Columbia (Minister of Forests) , [2004] 3 S.C.R. 511:

Taku River Tligit First Nation v. British Columbia (Project Assessment Director) , [2004] 2 S.C.R. 550:

R. v. Marshall ; R. v. Bernard , [2005] 2 S.C.R. 220 (" Marshall, Bernard "):

Mikisew Cree First Nation v. Canada (Minister of Canadian Heritage) , [2005] 3 S.C.R. 388:

R. v. Gray ; R. v. Sappier , [2006] 2 S.C.R. 686 (" Gray & Sappier "):

R. v. Morris , [2006] 2 S.C.R. 915:

McDiarmid Lumber Ltd. v. God's Lake First Nation , [2006] 2 S.C.R. 846: