The Duty to Consult Resource Page

Provided by Dwight Newman, Associate Professor of Law, University of Saskatchewan


The duty to consult doctrine in Canadian law is a doctrine developed by the Supreme Court of Canada.

This doctrine says that governments making decisions that may have an impact on Aboriginal rights or treaty rights have a duty to consult the potentially affected Aboriginal communities even prior to final proof of the rights in court or final settlement on the rights in negotiation processes.

This webpage seeks to provide basic information and resources on the duty to consult doctrine and will be updated over time.


The Duty to Consult: Supreme Court of Canada Case Law

The duty to consult was first introduced in its modern form in a series of Supreme Court of Canada cases in 2004 and 2005:
The duty to consult doctrine has been back recently before the Supreme Court of Canada in two cases:


[Further material will be added to this website shortly - by late November 2009.  In the meantime, if you want more information about the duty to consult, I include information on my book on the duty to consult below...]

My book on the Duty to Consult has just been released.

The Duty to Consult: New Relationships with Aboriginal Peoples

Dwight G. Newman, The Duty to Consult: New Relationships with Aboriginal Peoples (Saskatoon: Purich, 2009)
To order, click here to go to the publisher's website:  Purich Publishing
Or find it in fine bookstores!