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1 Rev. Const. Stud. 1 (1993-1994)
Reconceiving Rights as Relationship

handle is hein.journals/revicos1 and id is 3 raw text is: RECONCEIVING RIGHTS AS RELATIONSHIP Jennifer Nedelsky* The author proposes a new understanding of rights as relationship and constitutionalism as a dialogue of democratic accountability. She takes the position that all rights and the concept of rights should be viewed in terms of relationship and that this view provides a better way of resolving rights problems. It is suggested that the focus of decisions regarding rights should be on the kind of relationship we want to foster and the different concepts and institutions that will contribute to that end. In the proposed model, protected rights would be derived from inquiries into what is necessary to create the relationships needed for a free and democratic society. Using this framework, the author argues against constitutionalizing property and concludes by discussing the Alternative Social Charter as an outline of a model of constitutionalism for democratic accountability. L'auteure propose une nouvellefafon de concevoir les droits en terme de rapports, et le constitutionnalisine comme uneforme de dialogue ou d'exercice de responsabiliti dimocratique. Selon elle, tous les droits et concepts de droit devraient &tre per~us en terme de rapports, cette perspective itant plus favorable t la rsolution des problkmes juridiques. Ainsi, les dicisions relatives aux droits devraient tre axies sur le type de rapports qui veulent etre promus et sur les diffrrents concepts et institutions qui permettront de rialiser cet objectif Dans le modkle proposi, I'identification des droits protigis dicoulerait de recherches visant ii diterminer ce qu'il faut pour crier les rapports dignes d'une sociiti libre et dimocratique. Utilisant ce cadre de rifirence, I'auteure se prononce contre I'encheussement du droit it la propriiti et conclut par une discussion sur l'opportuniti d'adopter une charte sociale parallkle en tant que mod le de constitutionnalisme visant it promouvoir la responsabiliti dimocratique. I. Introduction In adopting the Charter of Right and Freedoms, Canada chose to make rights a central and permanent part of its political discourse just when the meaning and legitimacy of judicial review and, more generally, of rights talk, was increasingly contested among legal scholars. Of course, one might see these contests as an arcane scholarly preoccupation, since the invocation of rights can be heard in North America in every sphere Faculty of Law, Political Science and Women's Studies, University of Toronto. The author would like to thank the audience of the 1992 McDonald Lecture and the participants at the legal theory workshops at New York University Law School and Columbia University Law School for their helpful questions and comments. 1993 Revue d'itudes constitutionnelles

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