Dr. James B. Kelly, Professor of Political Science, Concordia University

Dr. Kelly's research focuses on the judicialization of politics associated with the introduction of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the adoption of bills of rights in Westminster parliamentary democracies. This talk unpacks the Ministry of Justice's review of bills for Charter inconsistencies and the new process of submitting 'Charter Statements' to Parliament. The purpose is two-fold: first, to provide an analysis of the initial 14 Charter Statements issued by the Minister of Justice to the House of Commons; and second, to place the duty to report proposed by Bill C-51 within a comparative context of existing ministerial reporting obligations, and parliamentary reforms, in New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom.