Essays in the History of Canadian Law, Vol. 6: British Columbia and the Yukon

Christopher English is a professor of history at the Memorial University
of Newfoundland.

This volume’s 14 essays canvass a fascinating variety of problems and
methodologies relating to a century of law in British Columbia and the
Yukon. Maintaining the professionalism, exhaustive research,
methodological sophistication, and ideological range of its
predecessors, the book scrutinizes a wide range of topics. Centrally
important, of course, are Native people; there are case studies on title
to land, criminal law, and the crucial role played by chiefs and
individuals (as guides, interpreters, witnesses, and collaborators) in
permitting the legal system to function. Also addressed are the courts
and the justice system, legal practice, policing, the identification and
institutionalization of the criminally insane, labour relations, and the
state’s enforcement of unwelcome regulation on minorities like the
Doukhobors. Ecclesiastical law makes an unexpected if very entertaining
appearance in the case of the bishop who had to resort to the civil
courts after the errant dead of his cathedral in Victoria refused to
accept the discipline of an episcopal court.

All these essays pay close attention to law as a construction of the
norms and values of society and government. Cases and statutes are
clearly explained. The authors come from a variety of professional
disciplines: history, law, criminology, political science, legal
practice, and independent legal research. For students of Canadian legal
history, the volume is a delight; for those unfamiliar with the genre,
it offers a beguiling introduction.