List of Supreme Court of Canada cases (Dickson Court)

This is a chronological list of notable cases decided by the Supreme Court of Canada from Brian Dickson's appointment as Chief Justice on April 18, 1984, to his retirement on June 30, 1990.

1984

Case name	Citation	Date	Subject
April 18, 1984 – appointment of Brian Dickson as Chief Justice
Law Society of Upper Canada v Skapinker	[1984] 1 SCR 357	May 3, 1984	Mobility rights, practice of law
Kamloops (City of) v Nielsen	[1984] 2 SCR 2	July 26, 1984	Duty of care of municipality for operational decisions; recoverable economic loss; limitation periods
Hunter v Southam Inc	[1984] 2 SCR 145	September 17, 1984	Search and seizure, section 8
R v Guerin	[1984] 2 SCR 335	November 1, 1984	Aboriginal rights

1985 – 1989

Case name	Citation	Date	Subject
Singh v Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration)	[1985] 1 SCR 177	April 4, 1985	Section 7
April 17, 1985 - Section 15 of the Charter came into effect
R v Big M Drug Mart Ltd	[1985] 1 SCR 295	April 24, 1985	Freedom of religion, section 2(a)
Operation Dismantle v R	[1985] 1 SCR 441	May 9, 1985	Justiciability, section 7
R v Sansregret	[1985] 1 SCR 570	May 9, 1985	Elements of rape
R v Therens	[1985] 1 SCR 613	May 23, 1985	Right to instruct counsel
R v Canadian Dredge & Dock Co	[1985] 1 SCR 662	May 23, 1985	Corporate liability
Reference Re Manitoba Language Rights	[1985] 1 SCR 721	June 13, 1985	Language protection under s.52 of Constitution
Reference Re BC Motor Vehicle Act	[1985] 2 SCR 486	December 17, 1985	Criminal liability; mens rea; section 7
Ontario (Human Rights Commission) v Simpsons-Sears Ltd	[1985] 2 SCR 536	December 17, 1985	Workplace discrimination
R v Valente	[1985] 2 SCR 673	December 19, 1985	Judicial independence
R v Oakes	[1986] 1 SCR 103	February 28, 1986	Reverse onus; section 1 justification
Clarkson v R	[1986] 1 SCR 383	April 24, 1986	Right to retain and instruct counsel
Société des Acadiens v Association of Parents	[1986] 1 SCR 549	May 1, 1986	Minority language rights
Mills v R	[1986] 1 SCR 863
Beauregard v Canada	[1986] 2 SCR 56	September 16, 1986	Judicial independence
Central Trust Co v Rafuse	[1986] 2 SCR 147	October 9, 1986	Standard of care for lawyers; discoverability doctrine
Scowby v Glendinning	[1986] 2 SCR 226	October 9, 1986	Division of powers
R v Mannion	[1986] 2 SCR 272
R v Jones	[1986] 2 SCR 284	October 9, 1986	Charter; freedom of religion; security of person; home schooling
E (Mrs) v Eve	[1986] 2 SCR 388	October 23, 1986	Forced sterilization
Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, Local 580 v Dolphin Delivery Ltd	[1986] 2 SCR 573	December 18, 1986	Application of the Charter
R v Edwards Books and Art Ltd	[1986] 2 SCR 713	December 18, 1986	Sunday closing; freedom of religion; Oakes test
Kosmopoulos v Constitution Insurance Co of Canada	[1987] 1 SCR 2	January 29, 1987	Lifting the corporate veil
Manitoba (AG) v Metropolitan Stores Ltd	[1987] 1 SCR 110
R v Collins	[1987] 1 SCR 265	April 9, 1987	Exclusion of evidence test
Reference Re Public Service Employee Relations Act (Alta)	[1987] 1 SCR 313	April 9, 1987	Freedom of association
Public Service Alliance of Canada v Canada	[1987] 1 SCR 424		Freedom of association
Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union v Saskatchewan	[1987] 1 SCR 460		Freedom of association
Canada v Schmidt	[1987] 1 SCR 500	May 14, 1987	Extradition and fundamental justice
R v Rahey	[1987] 1 SCR 588
R v Smith	[1987] 1 SCR 1045	June 25, 1987	Cruel and unusual punishment
Action Travail des Femmes v Canadian National Railway Co	[1987] 1 SCR 1114		Discrimination; class action
Reference re Bill 30, An Act to Amend the Education Act (Ont)	[1987] 1 SCR 1148		Division of powers; education
R v Manninen	[1987] 1 SCR 1233	June 25, 1987	Right to seek counsel on arrest
Ontario Public Sector Employees' Union v Ontario (AG)	[1987] 2 SCR 2
Rio Hotel Ltd v New Brunswick (Liquor Licensing Board)	[1987] 2 SCR 59	July 29, 1987	Criminal law power; federalism
Robichaud v Canada (Treasury Board)	[1987] 2 SCR 84	July 29, 1987	Secondary liability for discrimination
R v Lyons	[1987] 2 SCR 309
R v Béland	[1987] 2 SCR 398	October 15, 1987	Admissibility of polygraph evidence.
R v Wigglesworth	[1987] 2 SCR 541	November 19, 1987	Charter section 11(h); double jeopardy
R v Vaillancourt	[1987] 2 SCR 636	December 3, 1987	Mens rea; section 7
R v Morgentaler	[1988] 1 SCR 30	January 28, 1988	Abortion
R v Crown Zellerbach Canada Ltd	[1988] 1 SCR 401	March 24, 1988	Peace, order and good government
R v Corbett	[1988] 1 SCR 670
R v Stevens	[1988] 1 SCR 1153	June 30, 1988	Retrospectivity of Charter, mens rea, fundamental justice
Crocker v Sundance Northwest Resorts	[1988] 1 SCR 1186		Exception to Ogopogo rule
Forget v Quebec (AG)	[1988] 2 SCR 90		Bill 101
British Columbia Government Employees' Union v British Columbia (AG)	[1988] 2 SCR 214	October 20, 1988	Freedom of expression
R v Dyment	[1988] 2 SCR 417	December 8, 1988	Collection of blood samples, section 8
Ford v Quebec (AG)	[1988] 2 SCR 712	December 15, 1988	Quebec's Charter of the French Language
Devine v Quebec (AG)	[1988] 2 SCR 790	December 15, 1988	Minority language rights
R v Strachan	[1988] 2 SCR 980	December 15, 1988	Exclusion of evidence
Union des Employes de Service, Local 298 v Bibeault	[1988] 2 SCR 1048	December 22, 1988	Labour law; judicial review
Sobeys Stores Ltd v Yeomans	[1989] 1 SCR 23	March 2, 1989	Jurisdiction
R v Genest	[1989] 1 SCR 59
Andrews v Law Society of British Columbia	[1989] 1 SCR 143	February 2, 1989	Equality rights; section 15
Borowski v Canada (AG)	[1989] 1 SCR 342	March 9, 1989	Abortion
R v Potvin	[1989] 1 SCR 525
Black v Law Society of Alberta	[1989] 1 SCR 591	April 20, 1989	Mobility rights and freedom of association; Charter
General Motors of Canada Ltd v City National Leasing	[1989] 1 SCR 641	April 20, 1989	Federalism
Irwin Toy Ltd v Quebec (AG)	[1989] 1 SCR 927	April 27, 1989	Freedom of speech
Slaight Communications Inc v Davidson	[1989] 1 SCR 1038	May 4, 1989	Labour relations; freedom of expression
Brooks v Safeway Canada Ltd	[1989] 1 SCR 1219	May 4, 1989	Sex discrimination
Janzen v Platy Enterprises Ltd	[1989] 1 SCR 1252	May 4, 1989	Sexual harassment as discrimination based on sex
R v Turpin	[1989] 1 SCR 1296	May 4, 1989	Charter right to trial by jury
R v Tutton	[1989] 1 SCR 1392	June 8, 1989	Criminal negligence
United States v Cotroni,	[1989] 1 SCR 1469	June 8, 1989	Mobility rights; Charter
Moysa v Alberta (Labour Relations Board)	[1989] 1 SCR 1572
Tremblay v Daigle	[1989] 2 SCR 530	November 16, 1989	Foetus as a legal person in Canadian and Quebec law.
Lac Minerals Ltd v International Corona Resources Ltd	[1989] 2 SCR 574	August 11	Creation of a constructive trust without a fiduciary duty
Mackeigan v Hickman	[1989] 2 SCR 796	October 5, 1989	Judicial immunity
Tétreault-Gadoury v Canada (Employment and Immigration Commission)	[1989] 2 SCR 1110	November 17, 1989
Edmonton Journal v Alberta (AG)	[1989] 2 SCR 1326	December 21, 1989	Freedom of expression

1990

Case name	Citation	Date	Subject
R v Duarte	[1990] 1 SCR 30	January 25, 1990	Surveillance, reasonable expectation of privacy
Bank of Montreal v Hall	[1990] 1 SCR 121	February 1, 1990	Paramountcy of Bank Act security interests in context of provincial property and civil rights power
R v Brydges	[1990] 1 SCR 190	February 1, 1990	Right to counsel
R v Storrey	[1990] 1 SCR 241	February 15, 1990	Arrest elements
International Woodworkers of America, Local 2-69 v Consolidated-Bathurst Packaging Ltd	[1990] 1 SCR 282	March 15, 1990	Procedural Fairness and Natural justice
Mahe v Alberta	[1990] 1 SCR 342	March 15, 1990	Minority language rights
Thomson Newspapers Ltd v Canada (DIRRTPC)	[1990] 1 SCR 425
Knight v Indian Head School Division No 19	[1990] 1 SCR 653	March 29, 1990	Judicial Review Procedural Fairness requirements
Starr v Houlden	[1990] 1 SCR 1366	April 5, 1990	Scope of Judicial inquiries
R v Lavallee	[1990] 1 SCR 852	May 3, 1990	battered woman syndrome
R v Ladouceur	[1990] 1 SCR 957	May 31, 1990	Arbitrary detention, random spot-checks
R v Sparrow	[1990] 1. SCR 1075	May 31, 1990	Aboriginal rights
Prostitution Reference	[1990] 1 SCR 1123	May 31, 1990	Meaning of freedom of expression
R v Skinner	[1990] 1 SCR 1235	May 31, 1990	Freedom of expression, freedom of association, soliciting prostitutes
R v Hebert	[1990] 2 SCR 151	June 21, 1990	Right to silence
Apple Computer Inc v Mackintosh Computers Ltd	[1990] 2 SCR 209	June 21, 1990	Copyright law of Canada
Rocket v Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario	[1990] 2 SCR 232	June 21, 1990	Freedom of expression
June 30, 1990 – retirement of Chief Justice Brian Dickson

See also

• List of notable Canadian Courts of Appeals cases