Outcome Chart - Ontario - Law CLU3E: Understanding Canadian Law in Everyday Life

This chart contains media-related learning outcomes from Ontario, Curriculum for Law CLU3E: Understanding Canadian Law in Everyday Life, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.

The Inquiry Process and Skill Development in Legal Studies

Overall Expectations

The Inquiry Process in Legal Studies: use the legal studies inquiry process and the concepts of legal thinking when investigating legal issues in Canada

Specific Expectations

A1.1 formulate different types of questions to guide investigations into legal issues in Canada

A1.2 select and organize relevant evidence and information from primary and secondary sources

A1.3 assess the credibility of sources relevant to their investigations

A1.4 interpret and analyse legal issues, using evidence and information relevant to their investigations and a variety of tools and strategies and taking into account relevant ethical and equity concerns

A1.6 evaluate and synthesize their findings to formulate conclusions and/or make informed judgements or predictions about the legal issues they are investigating

A1.7 communicate their ideas, arguments, and conclusions using various formats and styles, as appropriate for the audience and purpose

A1.8 use accepted forms of documentation (e.g., endnotes or footnotes, author/date citations, reference lists, bibliographies, credits) to acknowledge different types of sources (e.g., case law, legislation, websites, blogs, books, articles, oral evidence)

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Lesson Plans

Legal Foundations

Overall Expectations

Legal Principles: explain the role and importance of law and the fundamental principles of justice in Canada

Specific Expectations

B1.2 explain the relevance to daily life of different types of law (e.g., public law: criminal, constitutional; civil law: tort, family, employment, contract)

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Overall Expectations

Development of Law: describe how a variety of factors have influenced and continue to influence the development of Canadian law

Specific Expectations

B2.3 describe ways in which changes in societal attitudes and values have influenced the development of Canadian law (e.g., with reference to laws relating to censorship, gambling, environmental protection, workplace safety, the definition of marriage, capital punishment, the production and sale of marijuana for medical use)

B2.4 describe ways in which advances in science (e.g., in reproductive medicine) and technology (e.g., in information technology) have influenced the development of Canadian law or may influence it in future (e.g., the Assisted Human Reproduction Act, 2004; laws relating to the protection of privacy; laws relating to the protection of intellectual property such as the Copyright Modernization Act, 2012)

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Human Rights

Overall Expectations

Human Rights: explain the legal importance of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Ontario Human Rights Code and describe, in general, the procedures for resolving human rights complaints

Specific Expectations

C1.1 identify some of the rights and freedoms protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Ontario Human Rights Code and their corresponding responsibilities or obligations

C1.2 identify barriers to the equal enjoyment of human rights in Canada (e.g., discrimination on grounds of disability, class, age, race, ethnocultural background, religion, language, gender, or gender identity; discrimination resulting from geographic isolation, unequal access to education) and the human rights issues raised by various historical and contemporary instances where the rights of different groups were violated

C1.3 explain the procedures for resolving complaints about human rights violations (e.g., identifying the violation, determining the appropriate forum for resolution, obtaining representation [if necessary or appropriate], presenting a case)

C1.4 explain how human rights legislation can conflict with other legislation (e.g., the Criminal Code offence of child pornography versus the Charter guarantee of freedom of expression; the Charter section 2 right to freedom of religion versus the Charter section 7 guarantee of the right to life)

C1.5 analyse situations in which a right or freedom may be limited in Canadian law (e.g., Charter section 1 [“limitation clause”] has been used to limit the right to free expression in cases of “hate speech”; Charter section 33 [“notwithstanding clause”] has been used to uphold limitations in English language rights in Quebec; Charter section 25, which states that the Charter cannot override existing Aboriginal rights and freedoms)

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Lessons

Overall Expectations

Development of Human Rights Law: explain the relevance of various legal issues and societal factors to the development of human rights law in Canada

Specific Expectations

C2.3 describe how some human rights codes and related legislation have been influenced or might be influenced in future by factors such as evolving social attitudes and values, changing technology, and changing demographics (e.g., social attitudes and values: laws relating to women’s rights, reproductive rights, gender identity rights; changing technology: laws relating to privacy rights; demographics: laws relating to mandatory retirement age)

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Civil Law

Overall Expectations

Introduction to Contract Law: describe the legal foundations and development of contract law and the role of individuals, groups, and courts in its processes

Specific Expectations

D4.1 identify the key elements of a legal contract (e.g., consent, offer and acceptance, consideration) and explain their significance

D4.2 identify various types of contracts in contemporary society (e.g., mobile phone contracts, loan agreements, leasing agreements, product warranties, credit card contracts, landlord-tenant agreements) and explain their legal and/or economic importance

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Lessons

Criminal Law

Overall Expectations

Foundations of Criminal Law: demonstrate an understanding of some of the foundational concepts of criminal law in Canada

Specific Expectations

E1.2 describe various serious offences defined under the Criminal Code of Canada (e.g., assault, murder, break and enter, theft), other federal statutes (e.g., weapons offences, violations of food and drug regulations), and provincial laws (e.g., motor vehicle offences)

E1.3 describe the objectives and some key provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (e.g., ages of criminal responsibility, sentencing alternatives, protection of the privacy of accused youths, criminal procedures better tailored to the needs of youths, rules regarding the removal of youths to adult court under certain circumstances) and assess the appropriateness of the legislation as a response to youth crime

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Overall Expectations

Legal Processes and Procedures: describe key organizational structures, roles, and steps involved in the criminal trial process, and the relationships among the various elements

Specific Expectations

E2.6 analyse how media coverage and portrayals of crime and of legal processes and procedures (e.g., in print and electronic news media, social media, television shows, films) influence public perceptions of, assumptions about, and responses to crime/criminals and/or the criminal justice system (e.g., television “police procedural” series give a misleading impression of the time needed for real-life investigations; many popular television programs depict laws and procedures from other countries that do not apply in Canada; crime reporting raises public awareness that may help but also may hamper police investigations; media saturation coverage of high-profile cases may compromise the objectivity of prospective jurors; “tough on crime” positions in the news may influence the public’s response to sentencing)

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