This course introduces students to Canadian public and constitutional law and provides a foundation for upper year courses and seminars that explore various facets of constitutional and administrative law, human rights law, and Aboriginal law and Indigenous legal orders. Students in this course will engage with major issues in public and constitutional law, focussing on topics including Canadian federal constitutional structure; the legal analysis of the division of legislative powers; the nature and limits of rights protection under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; and the affirmation, interpretation, and limitation of “Aboriginal” rights and the treaty rights of “Aboriginal” peoples under section 35 of the Constitution. In exploring core dimensions of Canadian public law, and depending upon instructor expertise and pedagogical design, attention may also be given to the nature and basic principles of administrative law and the processes and principles of human rights and non-discrimination law in Canada. Throughout this course, students will gain a greater understanding of the broader historical, social, and political context of Canadian public and constitutional law, and will develop skills in constitutional and statutory interpretation, doctrinal analysis, and theoretical reflection and critique.