The Future of the Common Law Tradition

The majority of Western systems of private law is habitually divided by scholars into civil law systems and common law systems. Eastern Canada fortunately partakes of both traditions - the civil law in Quebec and common law in the other provinces. One difference between the two traditions is the greater and earlier emphasis that was placed on the teaching of civil law in universities. In conformity to this, Quebec had three university law schools before the common law provinces had any; they were McGill (established in 1848), Laval (established in 1854), and Laval in Montreal (in 1878). But Dalhousie was the first of the common law schools, a fact that makes me especially pleased to be involved in these celebrations.