BOOKS REVIEWS
REVUE DES LIVRES
La documentation juridique –
Caparros & Sean Goulet, Qu6bec: Les Presses de
Pp. 182 ($5.95).
Rdfdrences et Abrdviations, par Ernest
‘Universit6 Laval, 1973.
The authors, professors at the Facult6 de droit of Laval University,
have provided a most valuable reference work on a difficult subject:
the content and style of references to legal documentation. Their
aim, in which they have succeeded admirably, is to indicate now-
established modes of citation and abbreviation and, where establish-
ed ones do not exist, to provide suggestions for uniform practice in
the future. The subject is an unpopular science (it is complex and
apparently fussy) no matter how necessary a discipline (information
must be communicated accurately). Their work is not a methodology
of legal research and writing but a “style manual”. It is the first to be
published in the particular context of Quebec and for the Quebec
user. It will, this reviewer hopes, become our recognized text on
the subject.
The legal documentation relevant to Quebec is vast and very
complex because of the duality of its historical sources in French
and English law and because of Quebec’s place in a federal system
involving a duality of legislative and judicial functions. Its con-
stituantly complex position is made even more complicated by the
officially bilingual character of much Canadian legal documentation.
Heretofore there has been no single work in either English or French
that has united in one coherent whole either a guide to the
identification of references to this material or guidelines for its
material presentation. The text under review, conceived as a tool
for the French language writer, is situated primarily within the
second of these two perspectives but serves in part the first function
as well.
The organization of this material is as follows: after a pre-
liminary chapter devoted to the “notions essentielles” or elements
of a citation, its style and arrangement, the work is divided into
two principal parts: the documentation of what is called the “Anglo-
Saxon” tradition (Part I) and that of the “European Continental”
tradition (Part II). Within each of these parts, and with respect
to the legislative, judicial and major doctrinal materials of each,
19741
BOOK REVIEWS – REVUE DES LIVRES
the mode of abbreviation of the material is indicated. In most
instances this abbreviation is of course already established but
proposals are made where no firm usage exists. The documentation
of the United Kingdom is given some space, but with regard to it
and to that of the United States the authors quite reasonably refer
the reader to other works providing complete information.
It is within Part I that Canadian and Quebec materials are
presented, and they form the bulk of the content. In their regard the
authors have provided their most considerable service both by way
of explanation, illustrated by examples, of the citation of legislative
materials, and in the form of lists of abbreviations of the many
law reports and periodical journals (current and defunct) that
we have in Canada. However, the use of the term “Anglo-Saxon” to
designate the whole body of Quebec and Canadian documentation,
while not a truly serious matter leading to any real defect in the
organization of the material, is somewhat puzzling. It is apparently
used to designate either material in the English language (which
explains the references, even if passing, to American as well as
United Kingdom materials) or material in the British legal con-
ceptual mode of thought even though it may be expressed in
French as well (such as Quebec and Canadian statutes). The general
idea that Canadian materials, whatever their language of expression,
are situated primarily in the British tradition is, of course, true,
save for the special form of Quebec’s private law codifications.
Canadian and Quebec judicial materials, as well as the form of
arrangement of individual statutes, are more closely patterned on
English traditions than on those of France. But the Canadian style of
“revised” or “consolidated” statutes, at least since Confederation
and even more so since the federal Revision of 1970, has been very
different from the English. One would have thought that Canadian
materials generally had reached that stage of maturity which could
justify their presentation as simply “Canadian” –
that is, as an
autonomous, or at least distinct, tradition.
There are however few other points on which one would want
to take exception with the judgment brought to bear on what are
often very vexed questions. The authors have not perhaps satis-
factorily resolved the dilemma raised by the practice of including
the year within a reference to a judicial decision when the year is
not an integral part of the reference (nor really of any interest at
all if it amounts to no more than a reference to the date of publica-
tion of the volume). Clearer guidelines might have been given
respecting the point that theyear truly of interest, in all instances,
is that in which the judgment was rendered (cf. pp. 7, 49). And
McGILL LAW JOURNAL
[Vol. 20
while the designation “official” in regard to periodical literature
(cf. pp. 93-98) merely amounts to “indicated by the publisher”,
a word of explanation on its possible ambiguities in respect of
judicial reports would have been helpful (cf. p. 50 and p. 61, notes
31, 34, 35). The omission of a general subject index is, given the
elaborate table of contents, quite justified; on the other hand, a
unified table of abbreviations combining those now divided into
several distinct lists would assist the researcher in many circum-
stances. And, in the spirit of endeavouring to provide future writers
of legal material with wise counsel as to the presentation of their
own texts, this writer would suggest that whenever bilingual legisla-
tive texts are available to an author, both language versions of such
text should be cited in extenso no matter in which language he
himself is writing (cf. p. 24).
The utility of the work is evident. Its clarity, concision and
general good sense recommend it highly to anyone handling Ca-
nadian or Quebec materials, or those elements of foreign systems
which must be presented from the point of view of a person writing
for a Quebec readership. It is to be hoped that it will be used as a
standard text for law students and that its influence, once estab-
lished there, will continue to grow and be accepted in other milieux.
The authors themselves confess
to such an ambition in their
avant-propos and introduction –
and it is not immodest on their
part to have done so.
John E. C. Brierley *
* Faculty of Law, McGill University.
19741
BOOK REVIEWS – REVUE DES LIVRES
La fonction publique canadienne et qudbdcoise, par Patrice Garant avec la
collaboration de Marcel Morin, Quibec: Les Presses de l’Universit6 Laval, 1973.
Pp. XXIV, 463 ($14.75).
L’on ne saurait mettre en doute l’importance et l’int6ret de- ce
livre. L’oeuvre du professeur Patrice Garant facilitera la compr6hen-
sion des rouages fort complexes des Fonctions publiques du Canada
et du Qu6bec qui ont connu un tel essor et qui occupent une telle
place dans notre systime 6conomique, social et politique. De plus,
en tant que citoyens, nous sommes tous directement concern6s par
ce qu’est et ce que fait la Fonction publique. L’int6rAt de ce livre
r6side pr6cis6ment en ce qu’il permet de situer la Fonction publique
dans notre syst~me juridique, d’en saisir les principes de fonction-
nement et d’en appr6cier les cons6quences juridiques et politiques.
L’approche choisie se veut avant tout descriptive. Les principales
sources du droit de la Fonction publique y sont analys6es de fagon
syst6matique et rigoureuse sous la forme d’un bilan g6n6ral des
r~gles de marche de la Fonction publique canadienne et qu6b6coise.
Le livre comprend quatre parties. La premiere partie pr6sente le
cadre juridique et institutionnel de la Fonction publique. L’auteur y
d6gage les 616ments fondamentaux des structures de gestion et d’a-
m6nagement interne. L’6tude du systame de relations de travail en
place off-re h l’auteur ses conclusions les plus significatives en lui per-
mettant de faire la comparaison entre la Fqnction publique f6ddrale
et celle du Qu6bec. En effet, dans le cas du Qu6bec, les r~gles gouver-
nant les rapports collectifs de travail different consid6rablement de
celles que l’on retrouve dans le secteur priv6 et dans la Fonction pu-
blique f6d6rale. Le l6gislateur qu6b6cois veut se percevoir comme un
employeur ordinaire qui envisage de faron globale ses rapports avec
ses employ6s r6partis en quelque grands groupes de n6gociation,
alors qu’au f6d6ral la distinction entre le <(gouvernement-employeur,
et
,,gouvernement-puissance-publique-responsable-du-bien-com-
mun,, ressort beaucoup plus nettement et influence aussi bien la
th6orie que la pratique des relations de travail. I1 est bien possible,
comme le sugg~re l'auteur, que le gouvernement qu6b6cois s'en
trouve vivement d6savantag6 lorsque ses rapports avec les syndicats
prennent une dimension politique. Par contre, il n'est pas dit que la
tendance h la politisation des relations de travail au Qu6bec ne soit
pas un indice pr6curseur du type de conflits qui marqueront h l'ave-
nir les rapports entre des employ6s publics solidement regroup6s et
encadr6s et un Etat-patron pouvant repr6senter des int6r~ts diff6-
rents. Un chapitre consacr6 au contr6le parlementaire termine tr~s
bien cette premiere partie, h mon avis, la plus intdressante et la plus
originale du livre.
le
McGILL LAW JOURNAL
[Vol. 20
La deuxi~me partie de l'ouvrage analyse les rigles concernant
la carrire dans la Fonction publique tandis que la troisi~me partie
traite des devoirs et des droits du fonctionnaire public. L'6tendue
et la diversit6 des matires 6tudides dans ces deux parties expliquent
sans doute que chaque question abord6e n'a pu faire l'objet dune
recherche 6galement approfondie. C'est ainsi que les chapitres
consacr6s au recrutement, h l'avancement et b la titularisation des
fonctionnaires soul~veraient beaucoup plus d'int6rat s'ils avaient
d6bord6 plus largement sur l'6tude des modes de gestion utilis6s
dans notre syst~me administratif. Toutefois les tr~s bonnes sec-
tions sont consacrdes aux r~gles du ddsint6ressement et aux m6-
canismes visant h assurer l'int~grit6 de la Fonction publique. La
question des libertds publiques du fonctionnaire donne lieu h une
solide analyse et pr6sente beaucoup d'intdr~t.
Dans la quatri~me partie de son livre le Professeur Garant s'atta-
che surtout h l'6tude des lois particulires qui r6gissent le statut
juridique des agents des organismes para-gouvernementaux, des tri-
bunaux administratifs et de certaines entreprises publiques. L'impor-
tance croissante de ce secteur rendait n6cessaire cette inclusion
dans ce livre.
Le livre du professeur Garant n'est pas d'une lecture toujours
facile: il couvre un domaine vaste et complexe. Cependant, peu d'616-
ments y sont n6glig6s et le lecteur pers6v6rant trouvera dans ce livre
l6 peu pros tout ce qu'il faut savoir sur le droit de la Fonction publi-
que canadienne et qu6bdcoise. Pourtant, mAme h un livre aussi com-
plet, iI semble manquer quelque chose: le prdfacier, M. Roch Bolduc,
alors sous-ministre de la Fonction publique du Gouvernement du
Qu6bec, y fait allusion lorsqu'il indique que l'6tude des facteurs et
des situations sociales et dconomiques, ayant moul6 ce cadre l6gal,
reste h faire. Sans reprocher h l'auteur d'avoir 6cart6 dos le d6part
cette dimension sociologique et analytique, on ne peut s'emp~cher de
signaler que ce livre eut acquis une portde encore plus grande si
l'auteur s'6tait montr6 plus sensible 'a ces aspects. I1 risque de
d6cevoir le lecteur qui y chercherait du moins quelques tableaux
statistiques lui permettant de saisir les principaux traits de ce qu'il
appelle lui-m~me la "ralit6 concr~te r~gie par l'ensemble des r~gles
qui font l'objet de la science juridique" (p. 6). Mais ces reproches
n'affectent en rien la qualit6 essentielle de ce livre: il constitue, h.
ma connaissance, l'une des meilleures pr6sentations du droit de la
Fonction publique d'un regime f6d6ral.
Guy Lord*
Professeur agrdg6, Centre de recherche en droit public, Universit6 de
Montrdal.
19741
BOOK REVIEWS - REVUE DES LIVRES
La faillite en droit constitutionnel canadien, by Albert Boh6mier, Montreal:
Les Presses de l'Universit6 de Montr6al, 1972. Pp. 439 ($5.00).
This first rate study of the constitutional implications of the
field of bankruptcy was originally Professor Boh6mier's doctoral
thesis at the University of Montreal, and had been highly praised by
the jury (chaired by Professor Frank Scott) when it was publicly
defended by the author.
The book itself is well divided so that one may easily follow the
legal threads that hold it together. Its basic divisions deal with:
1) The conditions under which bankruptcy occurs;
2) The law applicable to various types of bankruptcy;
3) The legal consequences of bankruptcy; and
4) The nature of the judicial organization in matters of bank-
ruptcy, and the structure and jurisdiction of the courts.
It is written in precise and clear prose, which is always helpful in a
study of this nature. The reader is left free to grapple with ideas and
not language. In sum, the book reads well.
The study covers the whole field of bankruptcy law in relation
to the civil law of Quebec as well as to the law of the other provinces.
The author draws analogies between interpretations of bankruptcy
law as put forth in the common law jurisdictions and those put
forth by Quebec law when the question has not been conclusively
resolved with regard to the civil law. Similarily, when a purely civil
law question is analysed, reference is made to the corresponding
law in other provinces (e.g. p. 232).
The comparisons and references to other legal systems dealing
with bankruptcy (e.g. those of England, the United States and
France) are quite useful in a study of this nature (pp. 335 ff.). As
well, the in-depth treatment of legislative history (e.g. pp. 125 ff.)
contributes to a fuller understanding of contemporary bankruptcy
legislation and problems. On many occasions Professor Boh6mier
gives us an overview of the socio-economic and political background
so that the legal problem is framed in its true context (e.g. pp. 150-
152, dealing with the economic problems of the 1930's).
Because of my particular interest in constitutional law, I was
most interested in the analysis of the problems dealing with para-
mountcy (or concurrency) that flow from the federal jurisdiction
over bankruptcy. Much has been written on paramountcy but this is
the first intensive study of the many constitutional issues that arise
from the inter-relationship of bankruptcy law and the civil law. Thus,
the author has made an important contribution to the legal literature
in this area of the law. He has contributed to the classroom as well:
McGILL LAW JOURNAL
[Vol. 20
the constitutional law teacher will find many interesting para-
mountcy problems which will lend themselves to classroom dis-
cussion.
Hundreds of cases are cited and analysed, and often an analysis is
made of all judgments from first to last instance of the same case.
It would appear that, in his extensive treatment of case material,
the author has not omitted anything of significance. Essentially,
Professor Bohdmier has given us an exhaustive study of the federal
jurisdiction in s.91, head 21 ("Bankruptcy and Insolvency") of the
British North America Act, and the inevitable conflicts that arise
with provincial legislation based on s.92, head 13 ("Property and
Civil Rights in the Province"). While other heads of power in s.91
and 92 have prevously been treated (e.g. A. Smith, The Commerce
Clause in Canada and the United States (1963)), until now no in-
depth study had been made of the federal jurisdiction over bank-
ruptcy and insolvency.
This book is a valuable addition to Canadian legal studies in
general and to the field of constitutional law in particular. It deserves
to be widely read.
Herbert Marx*
* Faculty of Law, Universitd de Montreal.
