Alberta Press Act Reference (1938), also called Reference Re Alberta Legislation, concerned 4 Alberta statutes, one of which, the Accurate News and Information Act, would have compelled each newspaper in the province, when called upon to do so by a government official, to publish the government's rebuttal of criticism that had appeared in the newspaper. The Supreme Court of Canada judged that the bill was ultra vires the jurisdiction of the provincial legislature. Five of the six judges gave, as the primary reason for their decision, the reason that the Accurate News and Information Act was ancillary to the Alberta Social Credit Act, which had been declared invalid by the court in this reference. As such the Accurate News and Information Act was also found to be invalid. Two judges, however, added that free political discussion was too important to Canada as a whole to be treated as a local and private matter, and one other judge argued that legislation affecting freedom of the press in discussing public affairs was within the criminal law power of Parliament. As our Constitution is declared in its preamble to be similar in principle to that of the UK, 3 court judges declared that free public discussion is the breath of life for our parliamentary institutions.
-
- MLA 8TH EDITION
- Beaudoin, Gérald A.. "Alberta Press Act Reference (1938)". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 13 February 2015, Historica Canada. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/alberta-press-act-reference-1938. Accessed 23 November 2024.
- Copy
-
- APA 6TH EDITION
- Beaudoin, G. (2015). Alberta Press Act Reference (1938). In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/alberta-press-act-reference-1938
- Copy
-
- CHICAGO 17TH EDITION
- Beaudoin, Gérald A.. "Alberta Press Act Reference (1938)." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Article published February 06, 2006; Last Edited February 13, 2015.
- Copy
-
- TURABIAN 8TH EDITION
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, s.v. "Alberta Press Act Reference (1938)," by Gérald A. Beaudoin, Accessed November 23, 2024, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/alberta-press-act-reference-1938
- Copy
Thank you for your submission
Our team will be reviewing your submission
and get back to you with any further questions.
Thanks for contributing to The Canadian Encyclopedia.
CloseArticle
Alberta Press Act Reference (1938)
Article by Gérald A. Beaudoin
Published Online February 6, 2006
Last Edited February 13, 2015
Alberta Press Act Reference (1938), also called Reference Re Alberta Legislation, concerned 4 Alberta statutes, one of which, the Accurate News and Information Act, would have compelled each newspaper in the province, when called upon to do so by a government official, to publish the government's rebuttal of criticism that had appeared in the newspaper.