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62 Can. B. Rev. 517 (1984)
Damages as a Remedy for Infringement of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

handle is hein.journals/canbarev62 and id is 523 raw text is: DAMAGES AS A REMEDY FOR INFRINGEMENT OF THE CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS MARILYN L. PILKINGTON* Toronto Section 24(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms confers on the courts the power to award to anyone whose rights or freedoms under the Charter have been infringed such remedy as the court considers appropriate and just in the circumstances. This article discusses the issues with which the courts will have to deal if they are asked to award damages for infringement of constitutional rights. It considers, inter alia, the purposes which the award of damages may serve; the elements of a constitutional damage claim; the defendants against whom such a claim may be made; and the appropriate measure of damages. In exercising this jurisdiction Canadian courts will no doubt find it useful to refer to the common law of damages and to the experience in the United States in the awarding of damages in constitutional cases. However the author concludes that the courts should not be constrained by common law principles and that the Charter confers on them a much broader jurisdiction than that of the United States courts. Canadian courts should therefore fashion a remedy in damages which will effec- tively redress contraventions of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Charter. L'article 24(1) de la Charte canadienne des droits et libertis donne aux tribunaux le pouvoir d'accorder d7 toute personne dont les droits et libertis garantis par la charte ont iti enfreints la reparation que le tribunal estime convenable etjuste eu egard aux circonstances. Dans cet article, l'auteur examine les questions auxquelles le tribunal devra repondre quand il aura cdfaire face d une demande de dommages et interets pour violation de droits constitutionnels. II considere entre autres d quelles fins ce genre de reparation peut servir, les elements qui consti- tuent une demande constitutionnelle en dommages et intir.ts, les defendants contre lesquels une action de ce genre peut etre intentie et la methode d' evaluation des dommages. Les juges canadiens trouveront certainement utile, pour exercer ce pouvoir, de se rifirer au droit des dommages et inter~ts de la common law aussi bien qu'd la jurisprudence amiricaine qui a l'experience de ce genre d'allocation dans les affaires constitutionnelles. L'auteur affirme cependant dans sa conclu- sion que les tribunaux canadiens ne devraient pas s'en tenir aux principes de la common law ni imiter les decisions americaines car les pouvoirs que leur accorde la charte sont beaucoup plus 9tendus que ceux accordis aux tribunaux amiricains. It encourage donc les tribunaux canadiens d se crier un recours en dommages et intjrgts qui reparera effectivement les violations des droits et libertis garantis par la charte. * Associate Professor of Law, Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, Toron- to, Ontario. The author wishes to thank Peter W. Hogg, Philip Anisman, Louise Arbour, Harry Glasbeek, Michael Mandel, Frederick L. Myers and Stephen M. Waddams for their helpful comments on a draft of this article and Edward J. Babin for his able research assistance.

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