Re Residential Tenancies Act, 1979

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Reference re Residential Tenancies Act

Supreme Court of Canada

Hearing: November 25, 26, 1980
Judgment: May 28, 1981
Full case name: Reference re Residential Tenancies Act
Court membership

Chief Justice: Bora Laskin
Puisne Justices: Ronald Martland, Roland Ritchie, Brian Dickson, Jean Beetz, Willard Estey, William McIntyre, Julien Chouinard, Antonio Lamer

Reasons given

Majority by: Dickson J.

Reference re Residential Tenancies Act, [1981] 1 S.C.R. 714 is a leading Supreme Court of Canada decision of the jurisdiction of superior courts provided by section 96 of the Constitution Act, 1867. The Court formulated a three step test for determining whether an administrative body was encroaching upon the jurisdiction of the superior courts.

Justice Dickson, writing for the majority, suggested the test. First, it must be determined "whether the power or jurisdiction conforms to the power or jurisdiction exercised by superior, district or county courts at the time of Confederation." [1] Second, step asks "whether the function itself is different when viewed in that setting. In particular, can the function still be considered to be a 'judicial' function." [2] In the third step, asks to "review the tribunal's function as a whole in order to appraise the impugned function in its entire institutional context." [3]

Contents

[edit] Subsequent case law

The test was later applied in Massey-Ferguson Industries v. Govt. of Sask., [1981] 2 S.C.R. 413, and eventually modified in Sobeys Stores v. Yeomans, [1989] 1 S.C.R. 238.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ p. 734
  2. ^ ibid.
  3. ^ p. 735

[edit] External links

  • Full text of Supreme Court of Canada decision at LexUMand CanLII