Rule of law why is it important

Strengthening the rule of law involves respect for the norms of international law, including on the use of force, and recognition of the primary responsibility of States to protect their populations from genocide, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and war crimes. The rule of law is a core element of the humanitarian and human rights agendas; is crucial to understanding and addressing the reasons for displacement and statelessness; and is the foundation of the humanitarian protection regime.

What is the Rule of Law. A strong rule of law includes:. There are great benefits to business, and other stakeholders, in respecting and supporting the rule of law. Join the industry's top owners, investors, developers, brokers and financiers for the real estate healthcare event of the year! Honoring outstanding legal achievements focused at the national level, largely around Big Law and in-house departments.

Don't miss the crucial news and insights you need to make informed legal decisions. Join New York Law Journal now! Already have an account? Sign In. United States United States International. Law Firms. All Sections. Content Type Articles Cases. Limit Search to Slideshows. Publications Law. All Rights Reserved. First, the circumstances which brought each of these cases before the Court demonstrate that, although Canadian citizens and the federal and provincial governments might instinctively recognize and acknowledge components of the Rule of Law as being fundamental to our democratic society, sometimes individuals or governments take action which, either intentionally or unintentionally, may violate the Rule of Law.

In attempting to achieve other goals, it is particularly easy for elected officials or governments to overlook or misinterpret their obligations under the Rule of Law.

Accordingly, we cannot be complacent and simply assume that because Canadian citizens and governments value the Rule of Law that Rule will necessarily be followed without the involvement of the courts in enforcing it. Second, these cases reflect the clear and repeated finding by the Supreme Court of Canada that the Rule of Law is fundamental to the operation of the Canadian legal system and that this Rule must be obeyed and implemented in practice.

In other words, these cases tell us that the Rule of Law is more than just a basic value of our legal system, it is a fundamental, enforceable legal right.

Finally, by demonstrating the willingness of the courts to use the Rule of Law to curtail government action, these cases capture the essence of the Rule of Law — the notion that all participants in our society, governments included, must adhere to the laws and procedures we have agreed upon.

In our day to day lives, we often bemoan the fact that we must follow rules. In understanding the idea of the Rule of Law, however, we see that the rules, while frequently inconvenient, in fact save us from the intolerable inconvenience that a social order without objective rules would inevitably provide. This is not to say that all of our current laws or rules are perfect, but the existence of these objective rules ultimately protects our freedom. While many people in the world still struggle against the oppression of a tyrannical ruler, we are free from oppression at least in part because we are ruled by law.

Why should we care? Reading Time: 10 minutes Imagine. What is the Rule of Law? What the Rule of Law is Not In hearing that the Rule of Law is a principle that mandates objectivity in our legal system, many people argue that this principle is not followed in our country because the law, in fact, frequently applies differently to different people. The Roncarelli case and the Quebec Secession Reference case are useful in pointing out a number of facts regarding the significance of the Rule of Law: First, the circumstances which brought each of these cases before the Court demonstrate that, although Canadian citizens and the federal and provincial governments might instinctively recognize and acknowledge components of the Rule of Law as being fundamental to our democratic society, sometimes individuals or governments take action which, either intentionally or unintentionally, may violate the Rule of Law.

Conclusion In our day to day lives, we often bemoan the fact that we must follow rules. Funded by. Email Facebook Twitter.