Outcome Chart - Ontario - Law CLU3M: Understanding Canadian Law

This chart contains media-related learning outcomes from Ontario, Curriculum for Law CLU3M: Understanding Canadian Law, 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 law and legal issues in Canada;

Specific Expectations

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

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

A1.4 interpret and analyse legal issues (e.g., related to practices such as polygamy, same-sex marriage, hate speech, human trafficking) using evidence and information relevant to their investigations and a variety of tools and strategies, and taking into account relevant legal theories and ethical and equity concerns

A1.6 evaluate and synthesize their findings to formulate conclusions and/or make informed judgements or predictions about 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., legal references [case law, legislation], websites, blogs, books, articles, journals, newspapers, oral evidence/interviews, archival sources)

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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

B1.1 explain categories of law (e.g., public versus private, substantive versus procedural), areas of law (e.g., criminal, constitutional, administrative, tort, family, contract, labour, environmental), and the role of law in Canadian society (e.g., to protect public order; to protect human rights; to resolve disputes; to facilitate orderly change; to protect the environment)

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Overall Expectations

Legal Roles and Responsibilities: analyse the role and function of individuals, groups, and governments in Canadian law

Specific Expectations

B3.2 explain the legal significance of some key aspects of the Canadian Constitution (e.g., the division of powers between the federal and provincial levels of government, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the amending formula, the recognition of Aboriginal rights, residual powers)

B3.3 analyse the impact of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on the role and influence of the judiciary in Canada’s legal system

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Overall Expectations

Development of Law: analyse and describe how various social, scientific, and technological factors have influenced and continue to influence the development of Canadian law

Specific Expectations

B4.1 explain how evolving societal attitudes and values have promoted or prevented changes to Canadian law (e.g., in laws relating to censorship, gambling, environmental protection, workplace safety, marriage, the use of marijuana, capital punishment, abortion, prostitution, polygamy)

B4.2 evaluate the responsiveness of Canadian legislation to societal issues (e.g., protection of privacy, protection of intellectual property) raised by developments in science (e.g., advances in human genetics, new understanding of the effects of toxic/harmful substances) and technology (e.g., advances in information and communications technology)

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Rights and Freedoms

Overall Expectations

Human Rights: explain the legal significance of the Canadian Bill of Rights, the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Charter), and the Canadian Human Rights Act

Specific Expectations

C1.1 identify the protections provided by the Charter and provincial and federal human rights codes (e.g., Charter: protections related to freedom of religion, freedom of expression, mobility rights, equality rights, democratic rights; human rights codes: protections related to prohibited grounds of discrimination in workplaces, by organizations, and between individuals) and explain their significance

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Overall Expectations

Protecting Rights and Freedoms: analyse the relationship between the formal, legal recognition of rights and freedoms in Canada and how those rights are interpreted and protected in practice

Specific Expectations

C3.3 explain how human rights legislation and the courts attempt to balance minority and majority rights

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Overall Expectations

Legal Limitations of Human Rights: analyse situations in which it may be appropriate to limit rights and freedoms, and explain the arguments for and against such limitations

Specific Expectations

C4.1 analyse from a legal perspective situations in which a right or freedom may be limited in Canadian law

C4.2 evaluate the legal arguments used to justify laws limiting individual rights and freedoms (e.g., laws against promotion of hatred and incitement to violence) or institutional and/or police powers (e.g., laws against invasion of privacy, laws related to youth crime)

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Civil Law

Overall Expectations

D1. Introduction to Tort Law: analyse the legal foundations of tort law; the factors influencing its development; and the role of individuals, groups, and courts in its processes

Specific Expectations

D1.1 describe the legally accepted defences for some key intentional torts and some key unintentional torts

D1.3 describe the legal status and/or function of specific individuals and groups that may be participants in a civil law dispute (e.g., plaintiff, defendant, judge, arbitrator, mediator, jury, witnesses)

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Overall Expectations

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

Specific Expectations

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

D4.2 explain from a legal perspective the roles and responsibilities of each of the parties involved in a contract

D4.3 explain from a legal perspective the types of penalties that may be imposed or damages that may be awarded in an action for breach of contract

D4.4 explain the legal implications of various types of contracts (e.g., mobile phone contracts, loan agreements, leasing arrangements, product warranties, credit card agreements, landlord-tenant agreements) and describe ways in which contract law may need to be updated to respond to changing conditions (e.g., technological advances, the growth of social media)

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Lessons

Criminal Law

Overall Expectations

Foundations of Criminal Law: explain the foundational concepts of criminal law and their legal significance

Specific Expectations

E1.2 describe some summary and indictable offences identified in the Criminal Code of Canada, and their related penalties

E1.3 explain the philosophical principles and legal reasoning underlying the laws dealing with youth crime and the administration of justice for youth in Canada

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Overall Expectations

Criminal Justice System: assess the ability of the Canadian criminal justice system to provide appropriate and even-handed justice to people living in Canada

Specific Expectations

E3.3 identify some contemporary and emerging challenges that people face in dealing with law enforcement, including those that police face in carrying out their responsibilities (e.g., language barriers, the growth of white collar and cybercrime, questions related to cultural bias, questions related to the appropriate use of force) and evaluate their ability to respond to these challenges

E3.4 analyse how the media (e.g., social media, news, films, television) influence society’s perceptions and expectations related to the criminal justice system and legal procedures and trends (e.g., with respect to crime rates, right to a fair trial, rehabilitation programs, sentencing trends, response to protests [Kanesatake, the Occupy movement, the G20 summit], prevention of white collar crime, racial profiling)

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