The “rule of law” means that people are governed by rules announced publicly in advance, and that all government officials are subordinate to and subject to the law.

ARL is non-partisan. Our members come from diverse backgrounds and have divergent political views. What unites us is a shared belief in the rule of law, and the following seven propositions which flow from that basic concept:

• Constitutionalism:The Constitution is the supreme law of the land and can only be amended pursuant to its own amending formula. All government power is derived from and limited by the Constitution.
• All state action must be authorized bylaw.
• Statutes should establish rights, obligations and prohibitions in clear and precise language.
• Laws that are not enforced or enforceable undermine faith inthe rule of law.
• The courts should apply judicial precedents except where the precedent is clearly wrong and/or has proven unworkable in practice.
• Statutes should be interpreted by looking tothe ordinary meaning of the text in its full context.
• The role of the judiciary in public law is to assess the legality of state action, not its wisdom

The rule of law is the foundation of a free society; but it cannot be taken for granted. Our goal is to advocate the central importance of the rule of law and to highlight the social, political and financial costs we all suffer when the rule of law is trampled upon.

Canada’s stability and success have been made possible by an enduring Constitution and a vast cultural inheritance, of which the rule of law has been an essential feature. ARL is committed to educating the public about our legal history and traditions and to demonstrating that the rule of law has always been, in the words of Justice Ivan Rand, a “fundamental postulate of our constitutional structure.”