No Rights are Absolute: Legacies of Three Chief Justices

This data set analyzes Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) decisions issued between 1984-2018 that include reference to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter) and/or the Constitution Act 1982, s. 35. The researchers coded the variables from reviewing the SCC decisions. The primary aim of the data set is to record the Court's application of the doctrines of proportionality or justification in each case. The data set provides empirical analysis about the shaping of these doctrines during the tenures of each of the first three Chief Justices since the adoption of the Constitution Act 1982 – Brian Dickson, Antonio Lamer, and Beverley McLachlin. 2022 revisions – the Charter case data files were revised and include 716 SCC cases.