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Canada: Supreme Court Opinion in United States v. The Public Service Alliance of Canada Et Al (Canadian State Immunity Act)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2017

Abstract

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Type
Judicial and Similar Proceedings
Copyright
Copyright © 1993

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References

* [Reproduced from the text provided by the Supreme Court of Canada. The Introductory Note was prepared for International Legal Materials by Linda C. Reif, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, Canada, and I.L.M. Corresponding Editor for Canada.

[The Canadian State Immunity Act is reproduced at 21 I.L.M. 798 (1982). The United Kindgom State Immunity Act, 1978, appears at 17 I.L.M. 1123 (1978). The U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 appears at 15 I.L.M. 1388 (1976); amendments appear at 28 I.L.M. 396 (1989).]

1 State Immunity Act. R.S.C. 1985, c.S-18, as am. For commentary see e.g. H.L. Motot and M.L. Jewett, “The State Immunity Act of Canada” (1982), 20 Can. Yrbk. Int'l Law 79; B. Coad, “The Canadian State Immunity Act” (1983), 14 Law & Pol'y Int'l Bus. 1197; C. Emanuelli, “Commentaire: La toi sur l'immunité des États” (1985) , 45 R. du B. 81; E. Morgan, International Law and the Canadian Courts (1990).

2 U.K.: State Immunity Act. 1978. Stats. U.K. 1978, c. 33; Trendtex Trading Corp. Ltd. v. Central Bank of Nigeria. [1977] 1 Q.B. 529 (C.A.). U.S.A.: Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976. 28 U.S.C. 1602 et seq.; 1952 Tate Letter, 26 Dep't State Bull. 984. For Developments in other states see C.H. Schreuer, State Immunity; Some Recent Developments (1988) .

3 [1971] S.C.R. 997. The majority found that the relevant act of the foreign state was a public or sovereign act.

4 Id. at 1024-25 (per Laskin J.).

5 See e.g. Zodiak International Products Inc. v. Polish Peopled Republic (1977), 81 D.L.R. (3d) 656 (Que. C.A.); Smith v. Canadian Javelin Ltd. (1976), 68 D.L.R. (3d) 428 (Ont. H.C.J.); Amanat Khan v. Fredson Travel Inc. (No. 2)(1982), 36 O.R. (2d) 17(H.C.J.); The Ship “Atra” v. torac Transport (1986), 28 D.L.R. (4th) 309 (Fed. C.A.).

6 Motot and Jewett, supra, n. 1, at 96-99.

7 State Immunity Act, supra, n. 1, s.3(l) states: “Except as provided by this Act, a foreign state is immune from the jurisdiction of any court in Canada.” See similar provision in s. 12(1) of the Act (a foreign state's property tocated in Canada is immune from attachment, execution, etc. unless provided otherwise).

8 Motot and Jewett, supra, n. 1, at 96-97.

9 Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, s. 1603 (d)

10 Motot and Jewett, supra, n. 1, at 97-99.

11 See e.g. Jaffe v. Miller (1990), 75 O.R. (2d) 133 (H.C.J.); D & J Coustas Shipping Co. S.A. v. Cia de Naveqacao Ltoyd Brasileiro (1990), 24 A.C.W.S. (3d) 1004 (Fed.C. T.D.).

12 [1992] 2 S.C.R. 50; rev'q Re State Immunity Act. [1990] 1 F.C. 332, 100 N.R. 221 (Fed.C.A.).