Le présent mémoire traite de la validité des contrats d'assurance assortis des clauses base réclamation au Québec. Contrat principalement usité en assurance de responsabilité civile professionnelle, les clauses base-réclamation se démarquent également par leur attractivité économique. Il s'agit de clauses qui définissent le sinistre comme le moment à partir duquel la réclamation est portée à l'attention de l'assuré. Celle-ci doit nécessairement survenir durant la période d'effectivité du contrat sous peine d'exclusion de garantie. Cependant, les effets des clauses base-réclamation questionnent l'ordre public sur leur conformité au droit. En l'absence de précision de la part du législateur, la doctrine semble osciller entre leur reconnaissance au titre de l'affirmation de la liberté contractuelle et leur rejet au nom de la protection de la partie faible. En vrai, pour les tenants de leur validité, il s'agirait d'une réception de solution de Common Law en droit civil tandis que pour ceux qui s'y opposent il s'agit d'une affirmation des principes fondamentaux de droit civil que l'on doit défendre. Ces disharmonies concourent à l'instauration d'une insécurité juridique faisant du régime des clauses base-réclamation un régime instable. Partant du constat de la place importante qu'occupent les clauses base-réclamation dans les contrats d'assurance de responsabilité civile professionnelle et du contentieux suscité autour de leur validité, nous avons entrepris de questionner le droit civil québécois sur les conditions de validité des contrats d'assurance assortis de clauses base-réclamation. Pour ce faire, nous avons abordé l'interprétation et la qualification des clauses base-réclamation avant d'aborder leurs effets sur les droits des tiers et des assurés. / This brief deals with the validity of insurance contracts with basic claim clauses in Quebec. Contract mainly used in professional civil liability insurance; the basic-claim clauses also stand out for their economic attractiveness. These are clauses defining the loss as the moment from the claim is brought to the attention of the insured. This must necessarily occur during the period of effectiveness of the contract under penalty of exclusion of warranty. However, the effects of base-claim clauses question public policy on their compliance with the law. In the absence of precision on the part of the legislator, the doctrine seems to oscillate between their recognition under the assertion of contractual freedom and their rejection in the name of the protection of the weak party. In fact, for those who uphold their validity, it would be a question of receiving a Common Law solution in civil law, while for those who oppose it, it is an affirmation of the fundamental principles of civil law that we must defend. These disharmonies contribute to the establishment of legal uncertainty making the regime of base-claim clauses an unstable regime. Based on the observation of the important place occupied by base-claim clauses in professional civil liability insurance contracts and the litigation raised around their validity, we undertook to question Quebec civil law on the conditions of validity of contracts insurance with base-claim clauses. To do this, we discussed the interpretation and qualification of base-claim clauses before discussing their effects on the rights of third parties and policyholders.

Before 1994 administrative law was dominated by parliamentary supremacy which dictated that Parliament is the supreme law-making authority in the state. This position was radically changed by the new democratic order. To protect the rights of citizens a Bill of Rights was introduced in South Africa. This research focuses on the uncertainty pertaining to the application of the audi alteram partem rule to the proceedings of commissions of inquiry. Section 24 of the interim Constitution, section 33 of the final Constitution and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000 were introduced to safeguard the individual against unfair administrative action. These legislative measures as well as applicable case law are analysed in order to establish whether they have brought about greater clarity concerning the application of the audi alteram partem rule to the proceedings of commissions of inquiry. / Thesis (LL.M. (Public Law))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Before 1994 administrative law was dominated by parliamentary supremacy which dictated that Parliament is the supreme law-making authority in the state. This position was radically changed by the new democratic order. To protect the rights of citizens a Bill of Rights was introduced in South Africa. This research focuses on the uncertainty pertaining to the application of the audi alteram partem rule to the proceedings of commissions of inquiry. Section 24 of the interim Constitution, section 33 of the final Constitution and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000 were introduced to safeguard the individual against unfair administrative action. These legislative measures as well as applicable case law are analysed in order to establish whether they have brought about greater clarity concerning the application of the audi alteram partem rule to the proceedings of commissions of inquiry. / Thesis (LL.M. (Public Law))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.