# 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 |
| R v Big M Drug Mart Ltd | [1985] 1 SCR 295 | April 24, 1985 | Freedom of religion, section 2(a) |
| April 17, 1985 - Section 15 of the Charter came into effect ||||
| 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 ||||