La fin de non-recevoir est un concept juridique qui se manifeste par la paralysie totale et définitive d’un droit d’action autrement disponible. Malgré des effets dévastateurs et une popularité toujours croissante, près de quarante ans après sa reconnaissance par la Cour suprême, ses contours demeurent flous et sa substance, incertaine. Juges et juristes ne s’entendent ni sur la définition, ni sur les conditions d’application de cette doctrine mal comprise et peu théorisée. Ce mémoire s’appuie sur une analyse historique et comparative de ses sources françaises, anglaises et québécoises et sur une analyse systématique des décisions qui y font appel afin de jeter les bases d’une théorie des fins de non-recevoir en droit privé québécois. Il retrace, au fil des bouleversements politiques et économiques qui ont marqué leur histoire, l’émergence des fins de non-recevoir comme mécanisme hybride unique, gardiennes de la cohérence du droit et outils de matérialisation de ses principes généraux. Il introduit une distinction indispensable entre fins de non-recevoir dirimantes et discrétionnaires et établit un cadre conceptuel inédit qui explique et justifie les différentes fins de non-recevoir qui peuvent s’élever – sanctions, remèdes ou mesures d’équité – et systématise les modes et conditions de leur application. Théoriser la fin de non-recevoir est essentiel pour dépasser les dilemmes du choc entre principes généraux et droit codifié, éviter que l’arbitraire n’étende son emprise au cœur de l’appareil judiciaire et clarifier le rôle des principes généraux dans l’actualisation d’une justice non seulement procédurale, mais aussi matérielle. / The fin de non-recevoir (bar to an action) is a legal concept that results in the total and definitive paralysis of an otherwise available right of action. Despite its devastating effects and growing popularity, nearly forty years after its recognition by the Supreme Court, its contours remain blurry and its substance, ambiguous. The legal community cannot agree on the definition or conditions of this poorly understood and under-theorized doctrine. This thesis builds on a comparative historical analysis of French, English, and Quebecois sources and a systematic review of recent cases to lay the groundwork for a theory of fins de non-recevoir in Quebec private law. Along the political and economic transformations that shaped their history, it traces the emergence of judicially created barriers to legal actions as a unique, hybrid mechanism in the midst of law, keeper of its coherence and enforcer of its guiding principles. This thesis further introduces a crucial distinction between absolute and discretionary bars and establishes a novel conceptual framework that explains and justifies the various bars that may be invoked—whether as sanctions, remedies, or balancing measures—and systematizes how and when they may apply. Theorizing unwritten bars to actions allows us to move beyond the paradoxical opposition between general principles and codified law. It prevents arbitrariness from taking hold of vital spaces in the judicial system. It clarifies the role of general principles of law in bringing about a substantive—not merely procedural—form of justice.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:20:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Henrique Araujo Costa.pdf: 2539931 bytes, checksum: 9c873ec9e2f361932a9e422dd0b34bea (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-03 / This text proposes a comparative study of English and Brazilian civil procedure. The research approaches the judge powers, specifically the case management powers. Considering the issue s delimitation, new statutes and its practice are compared through the perspective of both countries. In conclusion, these judge powers have become similar due to the blending practices seen among different law families, as well as between different countries of the same family. However despite the convergence towards strengthening these powers the problems to be solved by these countries have distinct roots. In England the cost problem is the biggest one, while in Brazil the biggest problem is the delay. Moreover, despite their early convergence, the cultural roots of each system keep them somehow apart from one another. Thus it is not possible to state which would the best system (since they are unique) and the adoption of the English model by the Brazilian legislation should be done with caution (since the problems to be solved are different) / O presente trabalho é uma proposta de estudo comparado do direito processual civil inglês e do brasileiro. A tese é centrada no tema dos poderes do juiz, notadamente nos case management powers. Dentro do recorte proposto, são comparadas as normas e a prática judicial recentemente instituídas pelo direito de cada um dos mencionados países. Conclui-se que os poderes desses juízes tornaram-se bastante semelhantes em decorrência da assimilação mútua de práticas judiciais entre diferentes famílias do direito, bem como entre países distintos de mesma família. No entanto a despeito da convergência em torno do fortalecimento dos poderes do juiz os problemas a serem solucionados pelos referidos países têm raízes distintas. A Inglaterra tem como maior problema o custo, enquanto o Brasil tem como maior problema a demora. Ademais, a raiz cultural de cada sistema os mantém de alguma forma diferentes, apesar da aproximação recente. Por isso não é possível dizer qual dos sistemas seja melhor (já que são incomparáveis) e eventual importação do modelo inglês pela legislação brasileira precisaria ser feita com ressalvas (já que os problemas a serem solucionados são distintos)

La faiblesse est partout et touche tout le monde. Lorsqu’elle se trouve dévoilée serévèle la vulnérabilité. Et c’est dans ce moment là que la faiblesse doit être qualifiéejuridiquement. Or comme toute qualification, elle doit obéir à des règles. Ces règles s’imposentà la présente étude comme premier fondement analytique. C’est en effet en partant du droitprivé, celui de la personne, que de premières règles garantissant les droits de « l’Homme »peuvent être identifiées. Celles-ci ont pour objet ce qui fait l’être humain, dans sa faiblesse.Elles en donnent une forme de définition, juridique, mais sans toute la profondeur d’uneapproche autrement que systémique, voire parfois systématique, au sens d’une régulationadministrativiste des droits. C’est aux entrecroisements théoriques, qui fondent la règle dedroit, que l’on peut saisir des hypothèses faisant être la règle de droit. Toutefois, c’est dans lapensée sous-jacente, que seul un langage de philosophie du droit saura révéler, le lieu où lafaiblesse trouvera sa correspondance la plus exigeante. Là elle rejoint les langagesontologique et métaphysique, qui font qu’elle « existe » au-delà de toute qualification juridique.D’une approche de philosophie du droit on retiendra donc que le droit du plus faible obéit àplusieurs règles communes, relevant d’une forme d’universalité, et que celles-ci peuventtrouver une véritable traduction en droit positif. C’est une forme de typologie de la faiblesseque l’on retrouve le plus souvent en pratique dans le discours du juge. C’est en invoquant lasentence du juge, dans sa souveraine interprétation judiciaire, que la faiblesse prend sadernière forme, celle que la personne se doit d’accepter pour faire valoir un droit. / The weakness is everywhere and affects everybody. When she is revealed, showsitself the vulnerability. A this moment she must be legally qualified. Yet, as any qualification,her has to obey rules. So these impose upon the present study as first analytica l foundation.Indeed while leaving of the private law, that of the person, of first rules guaranteeing the rightsof " the Man " can be identified. These have for object what makes the human being, in hisweakness, in a way gives a shape of definition, legal, but without all the depth of an approachthan what systematism, even sometimes systematic, in the sense of a regulation“administrativiste” rights. It is in the theoretical intertwinings, that base the legal rule, whichwe can seize with hypotheses making the legal rule be. However, it is in the underlyingthought, that only a language of philosophy of the right/law will know how to reveal, that theweakness will find its most demanding correspondence. There she joins the ontological andmetaphysical languages, which make that she "exists". Of an approach of philosophy of theright/law we shall thus retain that the right of the weakest obeys several common rules, andbeing of a shape of universality, and that these can find a real translation in substant ive law. Itis a shape of typology of the weakness that we find most of the time in practice in the speechof the judge. While calling upon the judgment of the judge, in his ruler judicial interpretation,the weakness take its last shape, the one that the person owes accept to assert to right a“right”.

Southern Africa is experiencing land conflicts themselves in very different ways between state and stakeholders, within and between communities, within families, and specially within singular persons. The conflict of interests in the right to land in southern Africa with particular reference to Mozambique becoming a major issue and evidence conflicts at various levels of society and some of them are quite destructive. The present thesis seeks to address some juridical aspects on access, tenure and land use rights. Land problems have clear roots in the dispossession of Africans under colonialism and apartheid, and the powerful legacy this has left both in terms of outright suffering and also in the historical memory. Land issues are probably the most contentious topic in Mozambique since the independence in 1975. In Southern Africa and Mozambique in particular, one of the most profound causes of such struggles has related to the tenure, the ownership and control of land. In fact the right to land is the major issue in many societies and in Mozambique the unlimited interest in land are quite similar, due the fact that majority of people are peasant or agriculturists. Land is therefore a very strategic socio-economic asset, particularly in poor societies like Mozambique where wealth and survival are measured by control of and access to land. However, land is also a state symbol and source of political influence and power. The Law in Mozambique retains the principle that land is the property of the state and cannot be sold or mortgaged, but it attempts to adjust this legacy from the socialist past to the reality of a market economy. Despite existing land law the government still not enable to control the access and right of use of land. The situation is compounded by a weak or non functioning judiciary system. / Os problemas sobre o direito de acesso, posse, propriedade, uso e aproveitamento da Terra, constituem matéria de debate actual a nível internacional, com realce para a região da Africa Austral e Moçambique em especial. É uma matéria que preocupa os governos e a população em geral, por a terra ser um bem de grande utilidade sócio-económica e política. Moçambique possui um regime jurídico sobre terra (lei nº-19/97 de 1 de Outubro, seu Regulamento e Anexo Técnico), no entanto, ela é lacunosa e carece de reforma afim de se adaptar à realidade dos problemas que se levantam no âmbito da posse, uso e aproveitamento e dos conflitos emergentes. Alguns factores do surgimento de conflitos no âmbito do processo da posse, uso e aproveitamento da terra resultam no entanto, da perda de confiança dos particulares em relação aos órgãos do aparelho do Estado que lidam com matérias sobre terras, devido a burocracia e a corrupção praticada por alguns funcionários. A terra em Moçambique é propriedade do Estado, o que implica uma maior responsabilidade por parte do governo, na sua gestão. O actual regime jurídico sobre a terra, carece de concertação de alguns aspectos fundamentais do ponto de vista legal. Trata-se da harmonização da legislação pertinente sobre terras. As leis promulgadas sobre a matéria embora defendem a necessidade de gestão da terra que beneficie os seus utilizadores, tal vontade, entretanto, não têm produzido efeitos satisfatórios. É, pois, neste contexto, que a presente tese cujo título é Alguns Aspectos do Regime Jurídico da posse e do Direito de uso e aproveitamento da terra e os conflitos emergentes em Mçambique, pretende contribuir na contínua abordagem sobre a problemática da posse da terra e dos conflitos emergentes. Bem gerida, a terra pode constituir um importante factor de paz, estabilidade sócio-política e de desenvolvimento económico. / Public Constitutional and International Law / Thesis (LL.D. )

Southern Africa is experiencing land conflicts themselves in very different ways between state and stakeholders, within and between communities, within families, and specially within singular persons. The conflict of interests in the right to land in southern Africa with particular reference to Mozambique becoming a major issue and evidence conflicts at various levels of society and some of them are quite destructive. The present thesis seeks to address some juridical aspects on access, tenure and land use rights. Land problems have clear roots in the dispossession of Africans under colonialism and apartheid, and the powerful legacy this has left both in terms of outright suffering and also in the historical memory. Land issues are probably the most contentious topic in Mozambique since the independence in 1975. In Southern Africa and Mozambique in particular, one of the most profound causes of such struggles has related to the tenure, the ownership and control of land. In fact the right to land is the major issue in many societies and in Mozambique the unlimited interest in land are quite similar, due the fact that majority of people are peasant or agriculturists. Land is therefore a very strategic socio-economic asset, particularly in poor societies like Mozambique where wealth and survival are measured by control of and access to land. However, land is also a state symbol and source of political influence and power. The Law in Mozambique retains the principle that land is the property of the state and cannot be sold or mortgaged, but it attempts to adjust this legacy from the socialist past to the reality of a market economy. Despite existing land law the government still not enable to control the access and right of use of land. The situation is compounded by a weak or non functioning judiciary system. / Os problemas sobre o direito de acesso, posse, propriedade, uso e aproveitamento da Terra, constituem matéria de debate actual a nível internacional, com realce para a região da Africa Austral e Moçambique em especial. É uma matéria que preocupa os governos e a população em geral, por a terra ser um bem de grande utilidade sócio-económica e política. Moçambique possui um regime jurídico sobre terra (lei nº-19/97 de 1 de Outubro, seu Regulamento e Anexo Técnico), no entanto, ela é lacunosa e carece de reforma afim de se adaptar à realidade dos problemas que se levantam no âmbito da posse, uso e aproveitamento e dos conflitos emergentes. Alguns factores do surgimento de conflitos no âmbito do processo da posse, uso e aproveitamento da terra resultam no entanto, da perda de confiança dos particulares em relação aos órgãos do aparelho do Estado que lidam com matérias sobre terras, devido a burocracia e a corrupção praticada por alguns funcionários. A terra em Moçambique é propriedade do Estado, o que implica uma maior responsabilidade por parte do governo, na sua gestão. O actual regime jurídico sobre a terra, carece de concertação de alguns aspectos fundamentais do ponto de vista legal. Trata-se da harmonização da legislação pertinente sobre terras. As leis promulgadas sobre a matéria embora defendem a necessidade de gestão da terra que beneficie os seus utilizadores, tal vontade, entretanto, não têm produzido efeitos satisfatórios. É, pois, neste contexto, que a presente tese cujo título é Alguns Aspectos do Regime Jurídico da posse e do Direito de uso e aproveitamento da terra e os conflitos emergentes em Mçambique, pretende contribuir na contínua abordagem sobre a problemática da posse da terra e dos conflitos emergentes. Bem gerida, a terra pode constituir um importante factor de paz, estabilidade sócio-política e de desenvolvimento económico. / Public Constitutional and International Law / Thesis (LL.D. )

Den skadeståndsrättsliga principen om den skadelidandes skyldighet att begränsa sin skada ärväl känd och vedertagen i svensk rätt. Principen åberopas ofta som invändning iskadeståndstvister av alla slag, och har därmed stor praktisk betydelse. Principens köprättsligaoch försäkringsrättsliga motsvarigheter är generöst behandlade i doktrinen. På denskadeståndsrättsliga sidan förhåller det sig annorlunda – det här är första gången som ämnetblir tillägnat ett eget arbete i Sverige. Det finns många rättsfall där skadebegränsningsskyldigheten aktualiseras, men på grund avdomskälens utformning är rättsfallens värde som vägledning begränsat. Jag anser emellertid attuppmärksamheten inte bör överfokuseras på dessa. Intar man ett framåtblickande perspektiv,finns det gott om material och idéer att hämta från den övriga civilrätten, från rättsekonominoch – inte minst – från utlandet. Arbetets strukturella och metodologiska ramverk är utformatså, att största möjliga nytta kan dras av främmande källor utan att en djupgående (och oftastointressant) komparativ utredning av dessa källor behöver göras. Det huvudsakliga syftet med undersökningen var att definiera skadebegränsningsprincipensansvarsgräns. Med hänsyn till framställningen omfattning, hade det inte varit möjligt att göragrundliga utredningar av enskilda delproblem. Istället är arbetet fokuserat på att utrönaallmängiltiga riktlinjer, tankemönster och ledtrådar, dels för skadebegränsningsbedömningen isig, och dels för den tänkbara rättsutvecklingen. Ett flertal sådana riktlinjer har kunnatdefinieras, något utspridda över principens tillämpningsområde, och ibland även i sammanhangdär det inte är uppenbart att det är skadebegränsningshänsyn som styr. Samtidigt har åtskilligasystemiska problem uppdagats såväl i principens tillämpning som i den underliggandenormbildningen. Jag har ödmjukt lagt fram några lösningsförslag, med ändamålet att främja enmer rättssäker tillämpning av principen, dels på grundval av gällande rätt, och dels på grundvalav den tänkbara rättsutvecklingen på området. / The doctrine of avoidable loss is a generally recognized principle in Swedish law. The doctrine is often invoked in damage claim disputes of all kinds, and is therefore important in practice. There is plenty of legal literature where the doctrine is treated in the context of sales law and insurance law. On the tort law side, however, there is nothing – this is the first dedicated work on the subject in Sweden. There are many tort cases where the question of avoidable loss is actualized, but due to the way the courts articulate the grounds for their rulings, the cases provide little guidance for the future, and therefore have little value as precedent. This is not necessarily an obstacle to the study. On the contrary, when looking outwards, I have found a wealth of ideas and study material in other areas of civil law, in law and economics, and in foreign law. The structural and methodological framework of the thesis was designed to allow for extraction of material from foreign sources without needing to conduct a thorough (and often uninteresting) comparative study. The main purpose of the investigation was to define the boundaries of the claimant’s liability as imposed by the doctrine. Considering the limited scope of the thesis, it would not have been possible to deconstruct the subject into details and conduct thorough investigations of those. Instead, the work was focused on determining general guidelines, thought patterns and clues; both de lege lata and de lege ferenda. Multiple such guidelines could be defined in various contexts where the doctrine is applied, but also, interestingly, in certain contexts where it is not obvious that considerations of avoidable loss are decisive. Multiple systemic issues have also been found, both in the application of the doctrine and in the underlying norms. I have humbly put forward several suggestions on how these issues could be alleviated to promote legal certainty in the doctrine’s application, both today and in the future.

My thesis is an analysis of my own translation of a chapter from Dominik Nagl's legal history 'Grenzfälle,' which addresses questions of citizenship and nationality in the context of the German colonies in Africa and the South Pacific. My analysis focuses primarily on strategies that I used in an effort to preserve the strangeness of a linguistic context that is, in many ways, "foreign" to twenty first-century North Americans while also striving to avoid reproducing the violence embedded in language that is historically laden with extreme power disparities.

Au cours d'une transaction portant sur une acceptation bancaire (ci-après «BA» tel que dénommée dans le jargon juridique) différents types de relations peuvent s'établir entre les parties impliquées, certaines plus directes que d'autres. Dans une transaction donnée, à part le client et la banque, on peut trouver une ou plusieurs banques participantes et un ou plusieurs investisseurs, qui deviennent détenteurs de BA. La situation peut devenir complexe et les relations légales risquent de devenir assez compliquées. Cependant, il est important d'identifier si la relation s'est établie à travers l'instrument de BA, si elle existe par le biais d'une relation contractuelle ordinaire ou encore, si elle existe par le fait de la loi. Une bonne analyse des circonstances entourant la transaction, des facteurs connexes à la transaction et des droits et obligations qui existent entre les parties, sera nécessaire pour déterminer laquelle de la loi provinciale ou fédérale s'appliquera, et dans quelle mesure. Une fois accordée, la BA est gouvernée par la Loi sur les lettres de change. Toutes solutions apportées à un problème qui implique des BA, doivent, en principe, respecter la nature inhérente de la BA en tant qu'effet de commerce, gouverné par la loi fédérale. En matière de BA, c'est, soit la Loi sur les lettres de change soit la Loi sur les lettres et billets de dépôt (Depository Bills and Note Act) qui s'appliqueront à l'acte. Comme il existe des lois fédérales applicables à la BA, l'objet de notre étude est de déterminer si, et dans quelle circonstance la loi de la province, tel que le Code civil du Québec, trouvera application et éclaircira dans certains cas la disposition contenue dans la Loi sur les lettres de change, notamment lorsque les dispositions de ladite loi sont silencieuses ou ambigües. La solution la plus simple serait d'appliquer la loi provinciale aux matières qui ne sont pas traitées dans la loi, étant donné que les lois provinciales apportent souvent un complément à la législation fédérale. Cependant, la Loi sur les lettres de change contient des dispositions spéciales, tel que l'article 9 qui stipule : « 9. Les règles de la common law d'Angleterre, y compris en droit commercial, s'appliquent aux lettres, billets et chèques dans la mesure de leur compatibilité avec les dispositions expresses de la présente loi. » Cette disposition a crée une certaine confusion relativement à l'application du droit civil du Québec en matière de Lettres de change. En effet, il existe un doute quant à savoir si l'application de l'article 9 est une incorporation par référence qui exclue totalement l'application du droit civil. Cette question continue de se poser inexorablement dans la doctrine et la jurisprudence. Elle a en effet donné lieu à une série de théories quand au degré d'application de la common law en matière de lettres de change. Une revue de la jurisprudence dominante nous permet de conclure que les tribunaux ont accepté l'application du droit provinciale dans certaines questions impliquant les lettres de change. La question essentielle traitée lors de notre analyse est la suivante: lorsqu'un litige prend naissance dans une transaction de BA, quelle est la règle qui devra s'appliquer? Quel sera le droit qui gouvernera les problèmes émergeant dans une BA, celui du Code Civil du Québec ou celui de la common law d'Angleterre? Étant donne le nombre de cas qui sont portés devant les cours de justice en rapport avec des transactions de BA, comprendre quelle sera la loi applicable est d'une importance fondamentale. Pour répondre à cette question, nous commencerons par un examen de l'historique, du développement et de l'évolution de la BA. Afin de mieux comprendre la BA, nous débuterons par un bref survol des origines de cet instrument juridique. Dans le deuxième chapitre, nous analyserons la nature et le caractère légal de la BA. Cela constituera le cadre aux travers duquel nous pourrons identifier les règles et les principes qui s'appliquent aux différents aspects de la transaction de BA. Le chapitre trois fera l'objet d'un examen détaillé des mécanismes de l'opération de BA tout en étudiant de près les exigences imposées par la législation applicable. Après avoir examine l'aspect légal de la BA, nous procéderons au chapitre quatre, à l'étude de l'applicabilité de la loi provinciale relativement à certains aspects de la transaction de BA. A cet effet, nous examinerons les différentes approches de compréhension de la Loi sur les lettres de change et plus particulièrement la problématique rencontrée à l'article 9. Nous étudierons aussi l'application et l'interprétation de cette loi par les tribunaux du Québec au cours du siècle dernier. Les juges et les juristes se sont penchés sur les sens qu'a voulu donner le législateur lorsqu'il a stipulé dans l'article 9 «Le règles de la common law d'Angleterre, y compris en droit commercial, s appliquent aux lettres, billets et chèques dans la mesure de leur compatibilité avec les dispositions expresses de la présente loi ». Cette section doit-elle être appliquée à la lettre, nous obligeant à appliquer la common law d'Angleterre a chaque problème qui peut se poser en relation avec les lettres et les billets? Le Parlement a-t-il l'intention que cette disposition s'applique également au Québec, dont le droit privé est basé sur le système du Code Civil? Notre étude portera sur les différentes approches d'interprétation qui offrent une diversité de solutions au problème posé par l'article 9. Finalement, compte tenu des nouveaux développements législatifs, au chapitre cinq, nous proposons une méthode en vue de déterminer la loi applicable aux différents aspects de la transaction de BA. Notre analyse nous a conduit à adopter la solution proposée par la majorité des juristes, à la différence que notre approche de l'article 9 est basée sur des raisons de politique. Nous avons donc adopté la stricte dichotomie (en tant qu'effet négociable d'une part, et d'une sorte de contrat et de propriété de l'autre) en prenant en compte les difficultés inhérentes à déterminer quand l'un finit et l'autre commence. En conclusion, selon notre opinion, il existe deux solutions. Premièrement, il y a la possibilité que l'article 9 puisse être écarté. Dans ce cas, toutes les matières qui ne sont pas expressément évoquées dans la loi tomberont dans la compétence de la loi provinciale, comme c'est le cas dans d'autres types de législations fédérales. Dans ces situations, le droit civil du Québec joue un rôle supplétif dans les applications d'une loi fédérale au Québec. Deuxièmement, modifier l'article 9 plutôt que d'en écarter son application offre une autre possibilité. Incorporer la large stricte dichotomie dans l'article 9 nous semble être une solution préférable. La disposition pourrait se lire comme suit: « Les règles de la common law d'Angleterre incluant le droit commercial dans la mesure ou elles ne sont pas incompatibles avec les dispositions expresses de la Loi, s’appliquent aux lettres, billets, et chèques au sens stricte. Pour plus de certitude, les lettres et les billets au sens strict, incluent la forme, la délivrance et I’émission des lettres, billets, et chèques.» Ce type de changement se révélera être un pas important dans le but de clarifier la loi et déterminer l'équilibre à trouver entre l'application des lois fédérales et provinciales en matière de BA. / When dealing with a BA transaction several types of relationships may develop, some more direct than others. In any given transaction, aside from the customer and bank, there may be one or more participating banks, investment dealers, or multiple investors, who become holders of the BA. The situation may be complex and the legal relationships may become quite intricate. However, it is important to identify whether the relationship is established through the BA instrument, or whether it exists by ordinary contractual relationship or by operation of law. Proper analysis of the surrounding circumstances, the connecting factors, and the obligations and the rights which exist between the parties, will be necessary in determining whether or not the contractual rules of the provinces, or federal law rules apply, and to what extent. Granted, the BA instrument is clearly governed by the Bills of Exchange Act. Any solution introduced to a problem involving a BA must, in principle, respect the inherent nature of the BA as a negotiable instrument, governed by federal law. In the case of BAs, either the Bills of Exchange Act or the Depository Bills and Notes Act will apply to the instrument. Since there are applicable federal rules to BAs, the purpose of our study is to determine if, and under what circumstances, provincial law, such as the Civil Code of Quebec, would find application with respect to BAs and complement the provisions of the Bills of Exchange Act where the statute is silent or ambiguous. The simple solution would be to apply provincial law to those matters not addressed in the Act, as provincial law typically compliments federal legislation. However, the Bills of Exchange Act contains a peculiar provision, namely section 9, which provides: “9. The rules of the common law of England, including the law merchant, save in so far as they are inconsistent with the express provisions of this Act, apply to bills, notes and cheques.” This provision has created confusion as to the appropriate application of Quebec civil law to matters of bills of exchange. Indeed, there is doubt as to whether section 9 is in fact an incorporation by reference that effectively precludes the application of civil law. The problem continues to be a contentious issue in the doctrine and jurisprudence. The "inexorable character" of the problem created by the interpretation of this provision has given rise to a number of diverse theories regarding the extent of the applicability of common law to matters of bills of exchange. As we can clearly conclude from a review of the jurisprudence, the courts, for the most part, have been conciliatory to the application of provincial law in issues involving bills of exchange. The majority of judges express a hesitance to jeopardize the integrity of the provincial law as complimentary law in order to accommodate the idea that Parliament's desire was to enact an extensive and far-reaching law of bills and notes. The position of most doctrinal writers is very much the same. The essential question of our analysis is which rules will govern the issues, which emerge within BAs - the Civil Code of Quebec or the common law of England? From a Canadian perspective, understanding which law is applicable to BAs is of paramount importance, since courts are dealing with an increasing amount of banker's acceptance transactions. To answer this question, we will begin with an examination of the origin and evolution of the banker's acceptance. In Chapter Two, we will also analyze the nature and legal character of the BA. This will establish the framework through which we can identify the rules and principles that apply to the various aspects of the BA transaction. In Chapter Three, we examine the mechanics of the BA operation step-by-step, paying close attention to the requirements imposed by legislation. We look at the laws applicable to the BA and describe the various agreements pertaining to the BA. Having examined the legal nature of the BA as being a negotiable instrument governed by federal law and a contract and moveable pursuant to the Civil Code of Quebec, we will proceed in Chapter Four to consider the applicability of provincial law to aspects of the BA transaction. To this end, we examine different approaches to understanding the Bills of Exchange Act, particularly the problematic section 9, as well as the applicable law as understood in Quebec jurisprudence during the past century. Judges and jurists alike have attempted to understand what was meant when the legislator stated in section 9, "[t]he rules of the common law of England, including the law merchant, save in so far as they are inconsistent with the express provisions of this Act, apply to bills, notes and cheques." Is this section to be interpreted literally, requiring us to apply English common law to every issue that might arise in connection with bills and notes? Does Parliament intend this provision to apply equally to Quebec, whose private law is based on the civil law system? Our study will look to interpretive approaches offering a variety of different solutions to the problem of section 9. Finally, given new legislative developments, in Chapter Five, we offer a proposed method to determine the law applicable to various aspects of the BA transaction. Our analysis has lead us to adopt the result advocated by the majority of jurists, but with the recognition that our approach to section 9 is based on reasons of policy. We have adopted the strict/wide dichotomy, (as a negotiable instrument on the one hand, and as a specie of contract and property on the other hand) realizing the difficulties inherent in determining where one ends and the other begins. Therefore, in our opinion there exist two solutions. Firstly, there is the possibility that section 9 could be repealed. In this case, all matters not expressly dealt with in the Act would fall to be governed by provincial law, as is the case with other federal legislation. In these situations, Quebec civil law takes on a suppletive role in applying a federal law in Quebec. Secondly, there is the possibility of modifying rather than repealing section 9. Incorporating the strict/wide dichotomy into section 9 itself seems to us to be a more preferable solution. The provision could read, "The rules of the common law of England, including the law merchant, save in so far as they are inconsistent with the express provisions of this Act, apply to bills, notes and cheques in a strict sense. For greater certainty, bills and notes in a strict sense include the form, issue, negotiation and discharge of bills, notes and cheques." Alternatively, a Law Reform Commission could draft an Act that defines section 9 according to the strict /wide dichotomy. These types of changes would prove to be an important step to clarifying the law, and strike the appropriate balance between the application of federal and provincial law to bankers' acceptances.

Au cours d'une transaction portant sur une acceptation bancaire (ci-après «BA» tel que dénommée dans le jargon juridique) différents types de relations peuvent s'établir entre les parties impliquées, certaines plus directes que d'autres. Dans une transaction donnée, à part le client et la banque, on peut trouver une ou plusieurs banques participantes et un ou plusieurs investisseurs, qui deviennent détenteurs de BA. La situation peut devenir complexe et les relations légales risquent de devenir assez compliquées. Cependant, il est important d'identifier si la relation s'est établie à travers l'instrument de BA, si elle existe par le biais d'une relation contractuelle ordinaire ou encore, si elle existe par le fait de la loi. Une bonne analyse des circonstances entourant la transaction, des facteurs connexes à la transaction et des droits et obligations qui existent entre les parties, sera nécessaire pour déterminer laquelle de la loi provinciale ou fédérale s'appliquera, et dans quelle mesure. Une fois accordée, la BA est gouvernée par la Loi sur les lettres de change. Toutes solutions apportées à un problème qui implique des BA, doivent, en principe, respecter la nature inhérente de la BA en tant qu'effet de commerce, gouverné par la loi fédérale. En matière de BA, c'est, soit la Loi sur les lettres de change soit la Loi sur les lettres et billets de dépôt (Depository Bills and Note Act) qui s'appliqueront à l'acte. Comme il existe des lois fédérales applicables à la BA, l'objet de notre étude est de déterminer si, et dans quelle circonstance la loi de la province, tel que le Code civil du Québec, trouvera application et éclaircira dans certains cas la disposition contenue dans la Loi sur les lettres de change, notamment lorsque les dispositions de ladite loi sont silencieuses ou ambigües. La solution la plus simple serait d'appliquer la loi provinciale aux matières qui ne sont pas traitées dans la loi, étant donné que les lois provinciales apportent souvent un complément à la législation fédérale. Cependant, la Loi sur les lettres de change contient des dispositions spéciales, tel que l'article 9 qui stipule : « 9. Les règles de la common law d'Angleterre, y compris en droit commercial, s'appliquent aux lettres, billets et chèques dans la mesure de leur compatibilité avec les dispositions expresses de la présente loi. » Cette disposition a crée une certaine confusion relativement à l'application du droit civil du Québec en matière de Lettres de change. En effet, il existe un doute quant à savoir si l'application de l'article 9 est une incorporation par référence qui exclue totalement l'application du droit civil. Cette question continue de se poser inexorablement dans la doctrine et la jurisprudence. Elle a en effet donné lieu à une série de théories quand au degré d'application de la common law en matière de lettres de change. Une revue de la jurisprudence dominante nous permet de conclure que les tribunaux ont accepté l'application du droit provinciale dans certaines questions impliquant les lettres de change. La question essentielle traitée lors de notre analyse est la suivante: lorsqu'un litige prend naissance dans une transaction de BA, quelle est la règle qui devra s'appliquer? Quel sera le droit qui gouvernera les problèmes émergeant dans une BA, celui du Code Civil du Québec ou celui de la common law d'Angleterre? Étant donne le nombre de cas qui sont portés devant les cours de justice en rapport avec des transactions de BA, comprendre quelle sera la loi applicable est d'une importance fondamentale. Pour répondre à cette question, nous commencerons par un examen de l'historique, du développement et de l'évolution de la BA. Afin de mieux comprendre la BA, nous débuterons par un bref survol des origines de cet instrument juridique. Dans le deuxième chapitre, nous analyserons la nature et le caractère légal de la BA. Cela constituera le cadre aux travers duquel nous pourrons identifier les règles et les principes qui s'appliquent aux différents aspects de la transaction de BA. Le chapitre trois fera l'objet d'un examen détaillé des mécanismes de l'opération de BA tout en étudiant de près les exigences imposées par la législation applicable. Après avoir examine l'aspect légal de la BA, nous procéderons au chapitre quatre, à l'étude de l'applicabilité de la loi provinciale relativement à certains aspects de la transaction de BA. A cet effet, nous examinerons les différentes approches de compréhension de la Loi sur les lettres de change et plus particulièrement la problématique rencontrée à l'article 9. Nous étudierons aussi l'application et l'interprétation de cette loi par les tribunaux du Québec au cours du siècle dernier. Les juges et les juristes se sont penchés sur les sens qu'a voulu donner le législateur lorsqu'il a stipulé dans l'article 9 «Le règles de la common law d'Angleterre, y compris en droit commercial, s appliquent aux lettres, billets et chèques dans la mesure de leur compatibilité avec les dispositions expresses de la présente loi ». Cette section doit-elle être appliquée à la lettre, nous obligeant à appliquer la common law d'Angleterre a chaque problème qui peut se poser en relation avec les lettres et les billets? Le Parlement a-t-il l'intention que cette disposition s'applique également au Québec, dont le droit privé est basé sur le système du Code Civil? Notre étude portera sur les différentes approches d'interprétation qui offrent une diversité de solutions au problème posé par l'article 9. Finalement, compte tenu des nouveaux développements législatifs, au chapitre cinq, nous proposons une méthode en vue de déterminer la loi applicable aux différents aspects de la transaction de BA. Notre analyse nous a conduit à adopter la solution proposée par la majorité des juristes, à la différence que notre approche de l'article 9 est basée sur des raisons de politique. Nous avons donc adopté la stricte dichotomie (en tant qu'effet négociable d'une part, et d'une sorte de contrat et de propriété de l'autre) en prenant en compte les difficultés inhérentes à déterminer quand l'un finit et l'autre commence. En conclusion, selon notre opinion, il existe deux solutions. Premièrement, il y a la possibilité que l'article 9 puisse être écarté. Dans ce cas, toutes les matières qui ne sont pas expressément évoquées dans la loi tomberont dans la compétence de la loi provinciale, comme c'est le cas dans d'autres types de législations fédérales. Dans ces situations, le droit civil du Québec joue un rôle supplétif dans les applications d'une loi fédérale au Québec. Deuxièmement, modifier l'article 9 plutôt que d'en écarter son application offre une autre possibilité. Incorporer la large stricte dichotomie dans l'article 9 nous semble être une solution préférable. La disposition pourrait se lire comme suit: « Les règles de la common law d'Angleterre incluant le droit commercial dans la mesure ou elles ne sont pas incompatibles avec les dispositions expresses de la Loi, s’appliquent aux lettres, billets, et chèques au sens stricte. Pour plus de certitude, les lettres et les billets au sens strict, incluent la forme, la délivrance et I’émission des lettres, billets, et chèques.» Ce type de changement se révélera être un pas important dans le but de clarifier la loi et déterminer l'équilibre à trouver entre l'application des lois fédérales et provinciales en matière de BA. / When dealing with a BA transaction several types of relationships may develop, some more direct than others. In any given transaction, aside from the customer and bank, there may be one or more participating banks, investment dealers, or multiple investors, who become holders of the BA. The situation may be complex and the legal relationships may become quite intricate. However, it is important to identify whether the relationship is established through the BA instrument, or whether it exists by ordinary contractual relationship or by operation of law. Proper analysis of the surrounding circumstances, the connecting factors, and the obligations and the rights which exist between the parties, will be necessary in determining whether or not the contractual rules of the provinces, or federal law rules apply, and to what extent. Granted, the BA instrument is clearly governed by the Bills of Exchange Act. Any solution introduced to a problem involving a BA must, in principle, respect the inherent nature of the BA as a negotiable instrument, governed by federal law. In the case of BAs, either the Bills of Exchange Act or the Depository Bills and Notes Act will apply to the instrument. Since there are applicable federal rules to BAs, the purpose of our study is to determine if, and under what circumstances, provincial law, such as the Civil Code of Quebec, would find application with respect to BAs and complement the provisions of the Bills of Exchange Act where the statute is silent or ambiguous. The simple solution would be to apply provincial law to those matters not addressed in the Act, as provincial law typically compliments federal legislation. However, the Bills of Exchange Act contains a peculiar provision, namely section 9, which provides: “9. The rules of the common law of England, including the law merchant, save in so far as they are inconsistent with the express provisions of this Act, apply to bills, notes and cheques.” This provision has created confusion as to the appropriate application of Quebec civil law to matters of bills of exchange. Indeed, there is doubt as to whether section 9 is in fact an incorporation by reference that effectively precludes the application of civil law. The problem continues to be a contentious issue in the doctrine and jurisprudence. The "inexorable character" of the problem created by the interpretation of this provision has given rise to a number of diverse theories regarding the extent of the applicability of common law to matters of bills of exchange. As we can clearly conclude from a review of the jurisprudence, the courts, for the most part, have been conciliatory to the application of provincial law in issues involving bills of exchange. The majority of judges express a hesitance to jeopardize the integrity of the provincial law as complimentary law in order to accommodate the idea that Parliament's desire was to enact an extensive and far-reaching law of bills and notes. The position of most doctrinal writers is very much the same. The essential question of our analysis is which rules will govern the issues, which emerge within BAs - the Civil Code of Quebec or the common law of England? From a Canadian perspective, understanding which law is applicable to BAs is of paramount importance, since courts are dealing with an increasing amount of banker's acceptance transactions. To answer this question, we will begin with an examination of the origin and evolution of the banker's acceptance. In Chapter Two, we will also analyze the nature and legal character of the BA. This will establish the framework through which we can identify the rules and principles that apply to the various aspects of the BA transaction. In Chapter Three, we examine the mechanics of the BA operation step-by-step, paying close attention to the requirements imposed by legislation. We look at the laws applicable to the BA and describe the various agreements pertaining to the BA. Having examined the legal nature of the BA as being a negotiable instrument governed by federal law and a contract and moveable pursuant to the Civil Code of Quebec, we will proceed in Chapter Four to consider the applicability of provincial law to aspects of the BA transaction. To this end, we examine different approaches to understanding the Bills of Exchange Act, particularly the problematic section 9, as well as the applicable law as understood in Quebec jurisprudence during the past century. Judges and jurists alike have attempted to understand what was meant when the legislator stated in section 9, "[t]he rules of the common law of England, including the law merchant, save in so far as they are inconsistent with the express provisions of this Act, apply to bills, notes and cheques." Is this section to be interpreted literally, requiring us to apply English common law to every issue that might arise in connection with bills and notes? Does Parliament intend this provision to apply equally to Quebec, whose private law is based on the civil law system? Our study will look to interpretive approaches offering a variety of different solutions to the problem of section 9. Finally, given new legislative developments, in Chapter Five, we offer a proposed method to determine the law applicable to various aspects of the BA transaction. Our analysis has lead us to adopt the result advocated by the majority of jurists, but with the recognition that our approach to section 9 is based on reasons of policy. We have adopted the strict/wide dichotomy, (as a negotiable instrument on the one hand, and as a specie of contract and property on the other hand) realizing the difficulties inherent in determining where one ends and the other begins. Therefore, in our opinion there exist two solutions. Firstly, there is the possibility that section 9 could be repealed. In this case, all matters not expressly dealt with in the Act would fall to be governed by provincial law, as is the case with other federal legislation. In these situations, Quebec civil law takes on a suppletive role in applying a federal law in Quebec. Secondly, there is the possibility of modifying rather than repealing section 9. Incorporating the strict/wide dichotomy into section 9 itself seems to us to be a more preferable solution. The provision could read, "The rules of the common law of England, including the law merchant, save in so far as they are inconsistent with the express provisions of this Act, apply to bills, notes and cheques in a strict sense. For greater certainty, bills and notes in a strict sense include the form, issue, negotiation and discharge of bills, notes and cheques." Alternatively, a Law Reform Commission could draft an Act that defines section 9 according to the strict /wide dichotomy. These types of changes would prove to be an important step to clarifying the law, and strike the appropriate balance between the application of federal and provincial law to bankers' acceptances.