Constitutional Challengers

The Heroes, Villains, and Crusaders Behind Canada's Biggest Cases

Adam Dodek

• Publisher: Dundurn Press
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9781459752931
• eBook ISBN:
  9781459755246
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Behind every great constitutional case, there is a person with a fascinating story.

The Supreme Court decides some of the biggest issues in Canadian society: Do Canadians have the right to assisted suicide? Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry? How far does freedom of religion or freedom of expression go?

In Constitutional Challengers, Adam Dodek has gathered together twenty-six of the most significant constitutional cases, including five major decisions concerning Indigenous rights. Behind every one of these cases is a person who had a problem to solve and ended up entangled in the Canadian judicial system.

Some of these people became crusaders — people who campaigned for a cause and set out to change other people's views and create broader social change. These individuals, such as sex-workers' rights advocate Terri-Jean Bedford and abortion provider Dr. Henry Morgentaler, are villains to some and heroes to others. But most of the people behind the biggest legal decisions weren't trying to champion a cause; they were just trying to achieve a result that became much bigger than themselves. They were along for the ride — often a long and convoluted one — in the Canadian justice system. It's within their journeys, often overlooked by the media, that the true victories and life-altering costs of standing up for one's beliefs can be found.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction: People Matter
• Part I: Constitutional Foundations
• Part II: The Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• Part III: Indigenous Rights
• Acknowledgements
• Sources
• Image Credits
• Index