Invasion of Privacy and Charter Values: The Common-Law Tort Awakens
![handle is hein.journals/mcgil42 and id is 367 raw text is: Invasion of Privacy and Charter Values:
The Common-Law Tort Awakens
John D.R. Craig*
The author argues for the recognition of a tort of
invasion of privacy in the common-law provinces of
Canada. The article provides an overview of various
methods of protecting privacy, including civil-law ap-
proaches in Quebec and Germany, American and Ger-
man constitutional approaches, and the protection in
the public sphere provided by the Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedoms. The author advocates the
Charter values approach in defining the parameters
of a Canadian common-law privacy tort.
The review contrasts the United Kingdom and
Australia, where the tort of invasion of privacy has
been forcefully denied, with the United States and
Germany, where it has been generally recognized. Af-
ter a survey of the Charter protection and its scope, and
using the case of Dyment as a guide, the author pro-
poses a three-part formulation for the privacy tort. Un-
der this test, a plaintiff may recover where there is an
identifiable private object falling within one of the
three privacy zones (territorial, personal, informa-
tional), where the defendant has acted intentionally or
recklessly in compromising the private object, and
where the invasion of the private object was unreason-
able in the circumstances.
In conclusion, the author argues that not only
should the new tort be developed by reference to
Charter values, but the Canadian courts should use
American jurisprudence and the civilian experience in
its implementation. He explains that there is both a
need and a secure foundation for a Canadian common-
law privacy tort.
Uauteur propose ]a reconnaissance d'un drlit
civil d'invasion de ]a vie privhe en common law cana-
dienne. L'article dresse un survol de diverses mrthodes
employees pour protrger la vie privde, soit 'approche
de droit civil au Quebec et en Allemagne, l'approche
constitutionnelle aux ttats-Unis et en Allemagne, ainsi
que Ia protection accord6e par Ia Charte canadienne
des droits et libertds dans le domaine public. Uauteur
pr~ne l'adoption de crit~res inspirds des valeurs vrhicu-
ls par la Charte pour dhfmir un drlit d'invasion de Ia
vie privre en common law canadienne.
L'auteur note le contraste existant entre
l'Australie et Ia Grande-Bretagne, o4 l'existence d'un
drlit d'invasion de Ia vie privre a 6t6 ni6 vigoureuse-
ment, et les ttats-Unis et l'Allemagne, oi i a 6t6 re-
connu. Apr;-s avoir trac6 un survol de la protection ac-
cordre par Ia Charte, et avoir analys l'arret Dyment,
l'auteur propose une definition en trois parties du d6lit
d'invasion de la vie prive. En vertu de ce test, le de-
mandeur aurait droit A la raparation du prejudice subi
s'il remplit les conditions suivantes : (1) il existe une
dimension privde appartenant A l'une des trois spheres
de vie priv~e (territoriale, personnelle et information-
nelle); (2) le drfendeur a agi de manihre volontaire ou
il a fait preuve d'insouciance en mettant en pdril la di-
mension priv.e et (3) l'invasion de Ia sphere priv~e
n'6tait pas raisonnable dans les circonstances.
En conclusion, l'auteur propose que ce nouveau
ddlit civil soit d6velopp6, non seulement en tenant
compte des valeurs vdhicul.es par la Charte, mais
6galement en rdfrrence a la jurisprudence amrricaine et
A l'exp~rience civiliste dans ce domaine. Selon 'auteur,
il existe en effet une fondation solide pour
l'6tablissement de ce nouveau drlit ; de plus, sa cr.a-
tion est nrcessaire en droit canadien.
Hons. B.A. (Waterloo), LL.B. (Dalhousie), B.C.L. (Oxon). Doctoral student in law, Lincoln Col-
lege, University of Oxford. I gratefully acknowledge the contributions to this article by Brian
Bawden, Osler Hoskin and Harcourt, Barristers and Solicitors, Toronto, the research assistance of
Nico Nolte and the support of the Centre for the Advanced Study of European and Comparative Law,
University of Oxford.
© McGill Law Journal 1997
Revue de droit de McGill
To be cited as: (1997) 42 McGill LJ. 355
Mode de rd6frence: (1997) 42 R.D. McGill 355](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/mcgil42&div=24&collection=journals&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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Invasion of Privacy and Charter Values: The Common-Law Tort Awakens
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