The Dissenting Opinion: Voice of the Future?

Abstract

Madame Justice L'Heureux-Dubé explores the history and the role of dissenting opinions in Canadian law. She argues that dissents contribute to the development of the law through their prophetic potential. Dissents are also fundamental elements of judicial discourse, serving to safeguard the integrity of the decisionmaking process and judicial independence. The Canadian legal tradition, like its American counterpart, provides numerous examples of why, in 1951, future Chief Justice Bora Laskin praised the "precious right" to dissent. Unanimity is not indispensable for judicial legitimacy or legal stability. In fact, the presence of judicious dissents can portray the true complexity of legal reasoning more accurately, while offering new possibilities for the law's evolution to judges, lawyers, and the public.