Introduction– Chapters 1 & 2
Administrative Law, Principles & Advocacy
What is administrative law?
◦ Rules created and applied by those having
governmental powers such as
boards, agencies, commissions, and
tribunals. These are powers delegated
from the executive branch to their
delegates.
◦ There is a significant impact on individuals
and business because many activities are
regulated by these bodies
What is administrative law?
◦ Administrative Law is tough to understand
at first glance, so what follows are a
number of traditional definitions of this
exciting area of law.
What is administrative law


Administrative law deals with complaints respecting government
action that adversely affects an individual. Administrative law
involves determining the legality of government actions.
Governments cannot perform any act. Governments act through
government officials who must act within certain limitations.
Government power to act comes from legislation or royal
prerogative. Thus, government officials must act within the
scope of such legislation or royal prerogative which give their
actions lawful authority. These are lawful actions. If government
officials act outside the scope of their lawful authority and
individuals are affected by these acts, then the principles of
administrative law provide individuals with the ability to seek
judicial review of the administrative action and possible remedies
for the wrongful acts.
What is administrative law


The subject matter of administrative law is the law governing the
implementation of public programs, particularly at the point of
delivery, where they are likely to have their most immediate
impact on the lives and rights of individuals. Most of these
programs are administered under the authority of a statute.
These programs originate in the identification by government of
a problem created by or not adequately addressed by the
operation of the market or private law. Having identified the
problem, government may respond in a number of ways: it may
decide to do nothing; to deal with the problem through existing
legal tools and institutions; or to create a new legal framework,
administered by some agency other than the courts of law,
designed specifically for this purpose. The adoption of the third
option is the real of administrative law.
What is administrative law


Administrative law is the body of law that governs the activities of
administrative agencies of government. Government agency action
can include rulemaking, adjudication, or the enforcement of a
specific regulatory agenda. Administrative law is considered a
branch of public law. As a body of law, administrative law deals with
the decision-making of administrative units of government (for
example, tribunals, boards or commissions) that are part of a
national regulatory scheme in such areas as police law, international
trade, manufacturing, the environment, housing, social benefits,
taxation, broadcasting, immigration and transport. Administrative
law expanded greatly during the twentieth century, as legislative
bodies worldwide created more government agencies to regulate the
increasingly complex social, economic and political spheres of
human interaction. Civil law countries often have specialized courts,
administrative courts, that review these decisions.
What is administrative law


Administrative law is the body of law that establishes or
describes the legal parameters of powers that exist by virtue
of statute or residual Royal Prerogative. In terms of the
relation between administrative process and the regular
courts, administrative law embodies the principles by which
the courts supervise the functioning of persons and bodies
that derive their powers from either statute or the Royal
Prerogative.
Mullan (2001)
What is administrative law


Administrative law "deals with the legal limitations on the
actions of government officials, and on the remedies which
are available to anyone affected by a transgression of these
limits."
Villers and Jones (1998)
What is administrative law


Administrative law deals with the legal limitations on the
actions of government officials. Specifically, it concerns itself
with the proper exercise of delegated power by these
government officials and the control of this power by the
courts. In large part, administrative law is about the scope
and nature of judicial review of decisions made by
government officials. It also about the remedies that are
available to parties affected by decisions made by
government officials that do not conform to standards set for
the proper exercise of power
Consolidated definition
It’s not just Federal and Provincial
Governments that have laws.
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS
◦ created by provincial legislation
◦ bylaw – a law made by the municipal level
of government.
◦ Examples:





zoning
taxation for the benefit of the municipality
subdivision
licensing
Who has jurisdiction over YOUR dispute?
It depends on the Constitution’s provisions
respecting the division of powers, and upon
the level of government that enacted the
statute under which the dispute originates.
Chapters 1 2_week_1
Chapters 1 2_week_1
Chapters 1 2_week_1
STATUTE LAW AND JURISDICTION
◦ Exclusive jurisdiction – that one level of
government holds entirely on its own
◦ Concurrent jurisdiction – the area being
regulated does not fall neatly into federal or
provincial jurisdiction but straddles them
◦ Paramountcy – doctrine that provides that
federal laws prevail when there are
conflicting or inconsistent federal and
provincial laws
Copyright © 2011 by Nelson
Education Ltd.

2-15
Federal Government
Parliament
•House of Commons
•Senate
•law-making jurisdiction
by s. 91 Constitution Act, 1867

Provincial Government
Legislature
• law-making jurisdiction by
s. 92 Constitution Act, 1867

Territorial Governments

Municipal Governments

• limited self-government
• subject to federal control

• law-making jurisdiction granted by
the provincial legislature
THE SYSTEM OF COURTS
◦ Inferior Court – a court with limited financial
jurisdiction whose judges are appointed by
the provincial government

◦ Small Claims Court – a court that deals with
claims up to a specified amount. Limit is
$25,000 in Ontario
◦ Superior Court – a court with unlimited
financial jurisdiction whose judges are
appointed by the federal government
THE SYSTEM OF COURTS
◦ Supreme Court of Canada – The final court
for appeals in the country, usually of
national concern or significance
◦ Federal Court of Canada – The court that
deals with some types of litigation
involving the federal government

Copyright © 2011 by Nelson
Education Ltd.

2-18
Supreme Court of
Canada

Courts of Appeal
( in each province
and territory)
Superior Courts
(in each province
and territory)

Small Claims Courts

Federal Court
(Appeal Division)

Federal Court
(Trial Division)
Sources of Law

Constitutional
Convention

Royal
Prerogative

Statute Law

Common Law

Copyright © 2011 by Nelson
Education Ltd.

2-20
◦ Royal Prerogative – historical rights and privileges
of the Crown, including the right to conduct
foreign affairs and to declare war
◦ Common Law – rules that are formulated in
judgments

◦ Precedent – an earlier case used to resolve a
current case because of its similarity
◦ Equity – rules that focus on what would be fair
given the specific circumstances of the case, as
opposed to what the strict rules of common law
might dictate


Common law



Enabling statute for administrative tribunal



Statutory Powers Procedure Act, but only if



Bill of Rights / Charter of Rights – Access to



Agency guidelines & rules

SPPA applies to that Tribunal
fundamental justice
Public Law
Areas of the law relating
to or regulating the relationship
between persons and
governments

Private Law
Areas of law that concern
dealings between persons

Common Law

Civil Law

Judge-made law and
the system of private law

*Quebec system of private law
EXAMPLES OF PUBLIC LAW
◦ Criminal law
◦ Tax Law
◦ Constitutional Law
◦ Administrative Law






The Public Law Setting
It’s important to understand the march towards
parliamentary sovereignty that allows parliament to make
law. It all started like this, with the Monarch having the
right to exercise all the power.
Power Diagram



Key Events
•The Sphere of “de facto”
power

Monarch

People


The Public Law Setting
The march towards parliamentary
sovereignty continues, and by
1867, there are few roles left for the
Monarch.





Power Diagram



Key Events

•Remaining prerogative powers by 1867:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Parliament

Monarch

•

1. Appointment of a Prime Minister
2. Appointment of Ministers
3. Dismissal of a government
4. Dissolution of Parliament
5. The creation of peers or Lords
6. Prerogative of mercy
7. Grant of patronage and honours
8. Conduct of foreign
affairs, including declaration of war
and signing of treaties
9. Crown cannot be sued without its
permission


The Public Law Setting
The march towards parliamentary
sovereignty continues, and by 1867,
there are few roles left for the Monarch.





Power Diagram



Key Events
•But eventually, even that residual
prerogative was exercised only on
the advice of the PM or Cabinet.

Parliament

Monarch


The Public Law Setting

Canada, Confederation and the British

North American Act:

The Separation of Powers


PowerPower Diagram
Diagram





Key Events

“There is in Canada, a separation of
powers among the three branches of
government -- the legislature, the
executive and the judiciary. In broad
terms, the role of the judiciary is, of
course, to interpret and apply the
law; the role of the legislature is to
decide upon and enunciate policy;
the role of the executive is to
administer and implement that
policy.”
 -- Fraser v. Canada, SCC


The Public Law Setting
There is an enormous Capacity of
Parliament to Delegate Powers to the
Executive, and then for the executive to
delegate powers to…statutory delegates


PowerPower Diagram
Diagram






Key Events

Why discretion?
“[The] delegation by governments to
administrators and bureaucrats is
necessary to ensure that the sheer
volume of work which must be done
by government is, in fact, able to be
done. It is the recipients of these
various delegated powers and
authorities who perform most of the
activities and make most of the
decisions essential to the proper
functioning of the government and
the implementation of our laws.”
Wagner v. Williams, 1995, Man.
Q.B., affirmed, Man. C.A.:


The Public Law Setting
Accountability and the Administrative
Law “Mantra”: Where is the Power!


Power Diagram
Power Diagram



Constitution
Act, 1867
Royal
Prerogative

The Most Important: Power
delegated by statute



Key Events

Subdividing the Executive’s
Slice of the Power Diagram:
•The answer to “where is the
power” must be one of three
different sorts of power.
•Otherwise, the official is
acting “outside of their
jurisdiction”, or ultra vires.
What is an administrative tribunal?




An administrative tribunal is an autonomous
agency that is independent of the provincial
government and is responsible for settling
disputes between the government and its
citizens. An administrative tribunal is also
known as an agency, board or commission.
There are approximately 235 such agencies
in Ontario in this “ABC” sector.
Here are but a few!












Child and Family Services Review Board
Custody Review Board
Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario
Landlord and Tenant Board
Ontario Special Education (English) Tribunal
Social Benefits Tribunal
Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario
Criminal Injuries Compensation Board
Workplace Safety & Insurance Appeals Tribunal
Why were Tribunals created?




First tribunals involved Labour & Worker's Comp.
Tribunals can be federal/provincial/municipal
Post-WWII: boom in tribunal creation due to
recognition that society had become more
complex. Didn't make sense to send all decisions
to courts. Legislators decided to offload certain
social administration problems to tribunals.
Why were Tribunals created?




Having the decision made by independent
Tribunals gives governments deniability and
distance from hard decisions

Tribunals are supposed to be independent of
government reach, but in fact many Tribunals
have government supporters as appointees.
Why were Tribunals created?




Having the decision made by independent
Tribunals help to avoid conflicts of
interest, as the decision makers are
independent.
Having the decision made by independent
Tribunals allows people specialized in a field
to make the decisions rather than courts
which may not have expertise.
A couple of key requirements?




An agency making adjudicative decisions
must separate the functions of the decision
makers and the policy makers, investigators
& prosecutors.
There can be no sub-delegation of authority
to another in the agency. He who
hears, must decide.
Advantages of Tribunals over Courts
 Cost: Nature of decisions made by Tribunals often inappropriate for
courts. Lawyers & judges are expensive. Informality expedites
process & balances out inequality concerns.
 Efficiency: Trials not universally applicable (evaluation of conduct vs
determination of misconduct), and not suitable for comparing
different individual interests vs government efficiency interests.
 Fact-Finding: Trials are good for determining facts
 Choice: But trials are bad when making value judgments
 Expertise: Expertise in areas beyond the law (e.g. Housing, human
rights, tariffs or licensing).
 Independence: from government & partisan concerns [overall duty
on public body to act fairly in making decisions that affect rights,
interests or privileges of individuals
Similarities Between Tribunals & Courts
 Fairness: Ensure parties have notice of the proceeding and have an
opportunity to be heard.
 Process: Allows evidence, adjournments, submissions, and provides
written reasons.
 Representation: Allows all parties to be represented by agent if they
wish.
 Adjudication: Like the courts, the triers of fact and law are
impartial, apply the law according to the facts before them, and are
relatively free from political pressure.
Differences Between Tribunals & Courts
 Fairness: Ensure parties have notice of the proceeding and have an
opportunity to be heard. However the expedited process
sometimes results in the full story not being told.

 Process: Less formal, more flexible, less procedural. Less emphasis
on ceremonial aspect of court, such as rising, introduction of judge
 Pre-hearing process: More likely to experience trial by ambush, as
often there is no process for disclosure, discovery and production
of documents.
 Adjudication: Not required to follow previous decisions of fellow
members. More flexible rules regarding evidence. Adjudicators are
not judges with inherent power, in fact, many are not lawyers or
paralegals.
Inquisitorial v. Adversarial Approach
 Inquisitorial: Adjudicators are permitted to ask questions and
conduct an investigation. This helps resolve the imbalance between
the weak and the strong party, especially if that strong party is the
government. The Tribunal may have the power to collect or refer to
evidence independently of the parties, and consider the public
interest. The adjudicator normally has special expertise in the
subject matter.
 Adversarial: In the tradition court process, the judge is more
passive and the parties must bring forward their case without the
intervention of the judge. This approach is based on sometimes
flawed assumptions that both parties are equally knowledgeable,
have resources to hire representation, and know the area of law in
which the dispute is being framed.
Inquisitorial v. Adversarial Approach
 Inquisitorial v. Adversarial: It’s often not just one or the other.
Some Tribunals combine both approaches. What is appropriate will
be determined by the Tribunal’s mandate, its enabling statute, and
what is fair in the circumstances.
 For instance at the National Parole Board, traditional advocacy skills
are not of much use to the party, and it is more of a fact-finding
process. The Ontario Information and Privacy Tribunal can follow
an inquisitorial process.
 The Human Rights Tribunal and Landlord and Tenant Board are two
agencies that are more court-like where advocacy skills are
necessary and the approach is more adversarial.
Statutory Powers Procedure Act
 Inquisitorial v. Adversarial: Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia
have statues that are used as models for Tribunals to use as a set of
minimum procedural requirements for their ABC’s.
 In Ontario, it’s called the Statutory Powers Procedure Act. The rules
in this statute are derived from the traditional adversarial system.
 In Alberta and BC, it’s called the Administrative Procedures Act,
which is similar to Ontario’s SPPA.
 In order for a Tribunal to be bound to follow the model, the
Tribunal’s enabling statute would have to indicate that the
proceedings are governed under the appropriate statute.
Not All Tribunals Function Identically?
 Function: Adjudicative versus policymaking. Function will
affect structure.
 Role in larger system: Policy-making vs. more
adjudicative tribunals
 Caseload: High caseload may affect degree of
participatory rights.
 Impact on people’s lives: huge impact on individual lives
(i.e. immigration board or law society) versus simple
licensing (i.e. DMV)
 Composition and Membership:
Lawyers, laypeople, professionals, tripartite…
Not All Tribunals Function Identically?
 Enforcement by Agencies: In may agencies, the
government or court not only establishes rights and
obligations, but also enforces compliance. Liquor license
Tribunals, by-laws about health and safety heard as
provincial offences fall into this group.
 Enforcement by Person Affected: Although the
government or courts have established rights and
obligations, the government does not provide the staff or
support to enforce the right. Person’s affected must
attend a Tribunal to commence and prosecute the action.
The Landlord and Tenant Board is an excellent example.
Not All Tribunals Function Identically?
 Advisory Agencies: In may agencies, the government agency
provides advice to the ministry and assists in drafting
policy, but does not carry out programs or make decisions.
For instance, the Commodity Futures Advisory Board.
 Regulatory Agencies: In may agencies, the government
agency makes independent decisions that limit or promote
conduct.
 Adjudicative Agencies: In may agencies, the government
agency makes independent decisions to resolve disputes over
individuals and businesses. Some may be appeal bodies
deciding on decisions made by bureaucrats, and others hear
disputes from their inception.
End of Presentation
Introduction– Chapters 1 & 2
Administrative Law, Principles & Advocacy

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Chapters 1 2_week_1

  • 1. Introduction– Chapters 1 & 2 Administrative Law, Principles & Advocacy
  • 2. What is administrative law? ◦ Rules created and applied by those having governmental powers such as boards, agencies, commissions, and tribunals. These are powers delegated from the executive branch to their delegates. ◦ There is a significant impact on individuals and business because many activities are regulated by these bodies
  • 3. What is administrative law? ◦ Administrative Law is tough to understand at first glance, so what follows are a number of traditional definitions of this exciting area of law.
  • 4. What is administrative law  Administrative law deals with complaints respecting government action that adversely affects an individual. Administrative law involves determining the legality of government actions. Governments cannot perform any act. Governments act through government officials who must act within certain limitations. Government power to act comes from legislation or royal prerogative. Thus, government officials must act within the scope of such legislation or royal prerogative which give their actions lawful authority. These are lawful actions. If government officials act outside the scope of their lawful authority and individuals are affected by these acts, then the principles of administrative law provide individuals with the ability to seek judicial review of the administrative action and possible remedies for the wrongful acts.
  • 5. What is administrative law  The subject matter of administrative law is the law governing the implementation of public programs, particularly at the point of delivery, where they are likely to have their most immediate impact on the lives and rights of individuals. Most of these programs are administered under the authority of a statute. These programs originate in the identification by government of a problem created by or not adequately addressed by the operation of the market or private law. Having identified the problem, government may respond in a number of ways: it may decide to do nothing; to deal with the problem through existing legal tools and institutions; or to create a new legal framework, administered by some agency other than the courts of law, designed specifically for this purpose. The adoption of the third option is the real of administrative law.
  • 6. What is administrative law  Administrative law is the body of law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of government. Government agency action can include rulemaking, adjudication, or the enforcement of a specific regulatory agenda. Administrative law is considered a branch of public law. As a body of law, administrative law deals with the decision-making of administrative units of government (for example, tribunals, boards or commissions) that are part of a national regulatory scheme in such areas as police law, international trade, manufacturing, the environment, housing, social benefits, taxation, broadcasting, immigration and transport. Administrative law expanded greatly during the twentieth century, as legislative bodies worldwide created more government agencies to regulate the increasingly complex social, economic and political spheres of human interaction. Civil law countries often have specialized courts, administrative courts, that review these decisions.
  • 7. What is administrative law  Administrative law is the body of law that establishes or describes the legal parameters of powers that exist by virtue of statute or residual Royal Prerogative. In terms of the relation between administrative process and the regular courts, administrative law embodies the principles by which the courts supervise the functioning of persons and bodies that derive their powers from either statute or the Royal Prerogative. Mullan (2001)
  • 8. What is administrative law  Administrative law "deals with the legal limitations on the actions of government officials, and on the remedies which are available to anyone affected by a transgression of these limits." Villers and Jones (1998)
  • 9. What is administrative law  Administrative law deals with the legal limitations on the actions of government officials. Specifically, it concerns itself with the proper exercise of delegated power by these government officials and the control of this power by the courts. In large part, administrative law is about the scope and nature of judicial review of decisions made by government officials. It also about the remedies that are available to parties affected by decisions made by government officials that do not conform to standards set for the proper exercise of power Consolidated definition
  • 10. It’s not just Federal and Provincial Governments that have laws. MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS ◦ created by provincial legislation ◦ bylaw – a law made by the municipal level of government. ◦ Examples:     zoning taxation for the benefit of the municipality subdivision licensing
  • 11. Who has jurisdiction over YOUR dispute? It depends on the Constitution’s provisions respecting the division of powers, and upon the level of government that enacted the statute under which the dispute originates.
  • 15. STATUTE LAW AND JURISDICTION ◦ Exclusive jurisdiction – that one level of government holds entirely on its own ◦ Concurrent jurisdiction – the area being regulated does not fall neatly into federal or provincial jurisdiction but straddles them ◦ Paramountcy – doctrine that provides that federal laws prevail when there are conflicting or inconsistent federal and provincial laws Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd. 2-15
  • 16. Federal Government Parliament •House of Commons •Senate •law-making jurisdiction by s. 91 Constitution Act, 1867 Provincial Government Legislature • law-making jurisdiction by s. 92 Constitution Act, 1867 Territorial Governments Municipal Governments • limited self-government • subject to federal control • law-making jurisdiction granted by the provincial legislature
  • 17. THE SYSTEM OF COURTS ◦ Inferior Court – a court with limited financial jurisdiction whose judges are appointed by the provincial government ◦ Small Claims Court – a court that deals with claims up to a specified amount. Limit is $25,000 in Ontario ◦ Superior Court – a court with unlimited financial jurisdiction whose judges are appointed by the federal government
  • 18. THE SYSTEM OF COURTS ◦ Supreme Court of Canada – The final court for appeals in the country, usually of national concern or significance ◦ Federal Court of Canada – The court that deals with some types of litigation involving the federal government Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd. 2-18
  • 19. Supreme Court of Canada Courts of Appeal ( in each province and territory) Superior Courts (in each province and territory) Small Claims Courts Federal Court (Appeal Division) Federal Court (Trial Division)
  • 20. Sources of Law Constitutional Convention Royal Prerogative Statute Law Common Law Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Education Ltd. 2-20
  • 21. ◦ Royal Prerogative – historical rights and privileges of the Crown, including the right to conduct foreign affairs and to declare war ◦ Common Law – rules that are formulated in judgments ◦ Precedent – an earlier case used to resolve a current case because of its similarity ◦ Equity – rules that focus on what would be fair given the specific circumstances of the case, as opposed to what the strict rules of common law might dictate
  • 22.  Common law  Enabling statute for administrative tribunal  Statutory Powers Procedure Act, but only if  Bill of Rights / Charter of Rights – Access to  Agency guidelines & rules SPPA applies to that Tribunal fundamental justice
  • 23. Public Law Areas of the law relating to or regulating the relationship between persons and governments Private Law Areas of law that concern dealings between persons Common Law Civil Law Judge-made law and the system of private law *Quebec system of private law
  • 24. EXAMPLES OF PUBLIC LAW ◦ Criminal law ◦ Tax Law ◦ Constitutional Law ◦ Administrative Law
  • 25.    The Public Law Setting It’s important to understand the march towards parliamentary sovereignty that allows parliament to make law. It all started like this, with the Monarch having the right to exercise all the power. Power Diagram  Key Events •The Sphere of “de facto” power Monarch People
  • 26.  The Public Law Setting The march towards parliamentary sovereignty continues, and by 1867, there are few roles left for the Monarch.   Power Diagram  Key Events •Remaining prerogative powers by 1867: • • • • • • • • Parliament Monarch • 1. Appointment of a Prime Minister 2. Appointment of Ministers 3. Dismissal of a government 4. Dissolution of Parliament 5. The creation of peers or Lords 6. Prerogative of mercy 7. Grant of patronage and honours 8. Conduct of foreign affairs, including declaration of war and signing of treaties 9. Crown cannot be sued without its permission
  • 27.  The Public Law Setting The march towards parliamentary sovereignty continues, and by 1867, there are few roles left for the Monarch.   Power Diagram  Key Events •But eventually, even that residual prerogative was exercised only on the advice of the PM or Cabinet. Parliament Monarch
  • 28.  The Public Law Setting Canada, Confederation and the British North American Act: The Separation of Powers  PowerPower Diagram Diagram   Key Events “There is in Canada, a separation of powers among the three branches of government -- the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. In broad terms, the role of the judiciary is, of course, to interpret and apply the law; the role of the legislature is to decide upon and enunciate policy; the role of the executive is to administer and implement that policy.”  -- Fraser v. Canada, SCC
  • 29.  The Public Law Setting There is an enormous Capacity of Parliament to Delegate Powers to the Executive, and then for the executive to delegate powers to…statutory delegates  PowerPower Diagram Diagram    Key Events Why discretion? “[The] delegation by governments to administrators and bureaucrats is necessary to ensure that the sheer volume of work which must be done by government is, in fact, able to be done. It is the recipients of these various delegated powers and authorities who perform most of the activities and make most of the decisions essential to the proper functioning of the government and the implementation of our laws.” Wagner v. Williams, 1995, Man. Q.B., affirmed, Man. C.A.:
  • 30.  The Public Law Setting Accountability and the Administrative Law “Mantra”: Where is the Power!  Power Diagram Power Diagram  Constitution Act, 1867 Royal Prerogative The Most Important: Power delegated by statute  Key Events Subdividing the Executive’s Slice of the Power Diagram: •The answer to “where is the power” must be one of three different sorts of power. •Otherwise, the official is acting “outside of their jurisdiction”, or ultra vires.
  • 31. What is an administrative tribunal?   An administrative tribunal is an autonomous agency that is independent of the provincial government and is responsible for settling disputes between the government and its citizens. An administrative tribunal is also known as an agency, board or commission. There are approximately 235 such agencies in Ontario in this “ABC” sector.
  • 32. Here are but a few!          Child and Family Services Review Board Custody Review Board Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board Ontario Special Education (English) Tribunal Social Benefits Tribunal Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario Criminal Injuries Compensation Board Workplace Safety & Insurance Appeals Tribunal
  • 33. Why were Tribunals created?   First tribunals involved Labour & Worker's Comp. Tribunals can be federal/provincial/municipal Post-WWII: boom in tribunal creation due to recognition that society had become more complex. Didn't make sense to send all decisions to courts. Legislators decided to offload certain social administration problems to tribunals.
  • 34. Why were Tribunals created?   Having the decision made by independent Tribunals gives governments deniability and distance from hard decisions Tribunals are supposed to be independent of government reach, but in fact many Tribunals have government supporters as appointees.
  • 35. Why were Tribunals created?   Having the decision made by independent Tribunals help to avoid conflicts of interest, as the decision makers are independent. Having the decision made by independent Tribunals allows people specialized in a field to make the decisions rather than courts which may not have expertise.
  • 36. A couple of key requirements?   An agency making adjudicative decisions must separate the functions of the decision makers and the policy makers, investigators & prosecutors. There can be no sub-delegation of authority to another in the agency. He who hears, must decide.
  • 37. Advantages of Tribunals over Courts  Cost: Nature of decisions made by Tribunals often inappropriate for courts. Lawyers & judges are expensive. Informality expedites process & balances out inequality concerns.  Efficiency: Trials not universally applicable (evaluation of conduct vs determination of misconduct), and not suitable for comparing different individual interests vs government efficiency interests.  Fact-Finding: Trials are good for determining facts  Choice: But trials are bad when making value judgments  Expertise: Expertise in areas beyond the law (e.g. Housing, human rights, tariffs or licensing).  Independence: from government & partisan concerns [overall duty on public body to act fairly in making decisions that affect rights, interests or privileges of individuals
  • 38. Similarities Between Tribunals & Courts  Fairness: Ensure parties have notice of the proceeding and have an opportunity to be heard.  Process: Allows evidence, adjournments, submissions, and provides written reasons.  Representation: Allows all parties to be represented by agent if they wish.  Adjudication: Like the courts, the triers of fact and law are impartial, apply the law according to the facts before them, and are relatively free from political pressure.
  • 39. Differences Between Tribunals & Courts  Fairness: Ensure parties have notice of the proceeding and have an opportunity to be heard. However the expedited process sometimes results in the full story not being told.  Process: Less formal, more flexible, less procedural. Less emphasis on ceremonial aspect of court, such as rising, introduction of judge  Pre-hearing process: More likely to experience trial by ambush, as often there is no process for disclosure, discovery and production of documents.  Adjudication: Not required to follow previous decisions of fellow members. More flexible rules regarding evidence. Adjudicators are not judges with inherent power, in fact, many are not lawyers or paralegals.
  • 40. Inquisitorial v. Adversarial Approach  Inquisitorial: Adjudicators are permitted to ask questions and conduct an investigation. This helps resolve the imbalance between the weak and the strong party, especially if that strong party is the government. The Tribunal may have the power to collect or refer to evidence independently of the parties, and consider the public interest. The adjudicator normally has special expertise in the subject matter.  Adversarial: In the tradition court process, the judge is more passive and the parties must bring forward their case without the intervention of the judge. This approach is based on sometimes flawed assumptions that both parties are equally knowledgeable, have resources to hire representation, and know the area of law in which the dispute is being framed.
  • 41. Inquisitorial v. Adversarial Approach  Inquisitorial v. Adversarial: It’s often not just one or the other. Some Tribunals combine both approaches. What is appropriate will be determined by the Tribunal’s mandate, its enabling statute, and what is fair in the circumstances.  For instance at the National Parole Board, traditional advocacy skills are not of much use to the party, and it is more of a fact-finding process. The Ontario Information and Privacy Tribunal can follow an inquisitorial process.  The Human Rights Tribunal and Landlord and Tenant Board are two agencies that are more court-like where advocacy skills are necessary and the approach is more adversarial.
  • 42. Statutory Powers Procedure Act  Inquisitorial v. Adversarial: Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia have statues that are used as models for Tribunals to use as a set of minimum procedural requirements for their ABC’s.  In Ontario, it’s called the Statutory Powers Procedure Act. The rules in this statute are derived from the traditional adversarial system.  In Alberta and BC, it’s called the Administrative Procedures Act, which is similar to Ontario’s SPPA.  In order for a Tribunal to be bound to follow the model, the Tribunal’s enabling statute would have to indicate that the proceedings are governed under the appropriate statute.
  • 43. Not All Tribunals Function Identically?  Function: Adjudicative versus policymaking. Function will affect structure.  Role in larger system: Policy-making vs. more adjudicative tribunals  Caseload: High caseload may affect degree of participatory rights.  Impact on people’s lives: huge impact on individual lives (i.e. immigration board or law society) versus simple licensing (i.e. DMV)  Composition and Membership: Lawyers, laypeople, professionals, tripartite…
  • 44. Not All Tribunals Function Identically?  Enforcement by Agencies: In may agencies, the government or court not only establishes rights and obligations, but also enforces compliance. Liquor license Tribunals, by-laws about health and safety heard as provincial offences fall into this group.  Enforcement by Person Affected: Although the government or courts have established rights and obligations, the government does not provide the staff or support to enforce the right. Person’s affected must attend a Tribunal to commence and prosecute the action. The Landlord and Tenant Board is an excellent example.
  • 45. Not All Tribunals Function Identically?  Advisory Agencies: In may agencies, the government agency provides advice to the ministry and assists in drafting policy, but does not carry out programs or make decisions. For instance, the Commodity Futures Advisory Board.  Regulatory Agencies: In may agencies, the government agency makes independent decisions that limit or promote conduct.  Adjudicative Agencies: In may agencies, the government agency makes independent decisions to resolve disputes over individuals and businesses. Some may be appeal bodies deciding on decisions made by bureaucrats, and others hear disputes from their inception.
  • 46. End of Presentation Introduction– Chapters 1 & 2 Administrative Law, Principles & Advocacy