Constitutional Law Coursework-Intensive LLM

Professor Lorraine Weinrib is one of several experts in Canadian constitutional law among our faculty. Her extensive body of scholarship includes many articles and books on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and on comparative constitutional law. She is consulted widely, and has litigated extensively, frequently before the Supreme Court of Canada. Professor Weinrib has been a visiting professor at a number of law schools internationally, most recently at the University of Tel Aviv. More >>

Canada's distinctive constitutional history has produced a range of legal and political arrangements supporting a diverse, pluralistic, egalitarian, social welfare state. Many of the most intense issues of public debate in Canada have constitutional ramifications. Increasingly, Canada's Constitution influences the development of constitutional structures in other countries, such as South Africa and Israel as well as New Zealand, Hong Kong and the U.K. The LLM in constitutional law enables students to study the many components of the Canadian constitution, including federalism, Aboriginal Rights, multiculturalism,  and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982. Constitutional study at the University of Toronto engages many methodologies, including interdisciplinary approaches, comparative analysis, and the challenges of constitutional development, including litigation and amendment.

The LLM in constitutional law enables students to study distinctive features of the Canadian constitution, including federalism, the constitutional recognition of historic communities, the treatment of minority cultures, the treatment of aboriginal people, and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, from a Canadian or a comparative perspective. Students seeking to deepen their knowledge and understanding of constitutional documents and litigation will also benefit from this program.

The Faculty's constitutional scholars are involved in the evaluation of the development not only of the Canadian constitution, but also of the constitutions of other countries, such as Israel and South Africa.

Students studying constitutional law at the University of Toronto also benefit from the many programs and initiatives sponsored by the Faculty of Law. The Distinguished Visiting Faculty program draws an impressive number of constitutional scholars from around the world. The Constitutional Roundtable provides a forum for lively discussion with invited constitutional experts and theorists. The International Human Rights Program and the Test Case Centre offer a unique opportunity for students to gain experience in legal work involving constitutional law.

Constitutional Law Faculty

• A. S. Brudner
• S. Choudhry
• R. J. Cook
• A. Macklin
• P. M. Macklem
• M. Moran
• S. Moreau
• E. M. Morgan
• J. Nedelsky
• D. G. Reaume
• K. W. Roach
• C. J. Rogerson
• R. Simeon
• A. Shachar
• D. Schneiderman
• L. E. Weinrib