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Quasi-constitutionality (Canada)
In Canada, the term quasi-constitutional is used for laws which remain paramount even when subsequent statutes, which contradict them, are enacted by the same legislature. This is the reverse of the normal practice, under which newer laws trump any contradictory provisions in any older statute. Primacy clauses in quasi-constitutional statutes The normal practice, under which the more recent statute has the effect of nullifying any contradictory rules laid out in all earlier statutes, is known as "implied repeal." Implied repeal is the traditional way of ensuring that two contradictory laws are never in effect at the same time. The practice of implied repeal also reinforces the concept of parliamentary sovereignty or supremacy---that is, it reinforces the idea that the parliament or legislature cannot be restricted by any external limit, including past actions of the legislature itself. A quasi-constitutional statute uses a "primacy clause" to achieve the apparently contradictory go ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Implied Repeal
The doctrine of implied repeal is a concept in constitutional theory which states that where an Act of Parliament or an Act of Congress (or of some other legislature) conflicts with an earlier one, the later Act takes precedence and the conflicting parts of the earlier Act become legally inoperable. This doctrine is expressed in the Latin phrase ''leges posteriores priores contrarias abrogant'' or "lex posterior derogat priori". Implied repeal is to be contrasted with the express repeal of legislation by the legislative body. Canada In Canadian law, it is possible for a law to be protected from implied repeal by way of a "primacy clause" which states that the act in question supersedes all other statutes until it is specifically repealed. Acts with such primacy clauses are called quasi-constitutional. United Kingdom In the 2002 English case ''Thoburn v Sunderland City Council'' (the so-called "Metric Martyrs" case), Lord Justice Laws held that some constitutionally significa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |