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Charter Creep: Creeping Precommitment and the Threat to Liberal Republicanism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2010

Michael Lusztig
Michael Lusztig*
Affiliation:
Southern Methodist University
*
Michael Lusztig, Department of Political Science, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, [email protected]
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Abstract

Abstract. At the heart of constitutionalism lies a fundamental flaw, what Stephen Holmes calls the paradox of democracy. On one hand precommitment—the constitutional entrenchment of certain fundamental rules and values—represents a restriction upon the ability of otherwise self-governing citizens to govern themselves. On the other, absent precommitment, self-governance becomes a precarious proposition. In this article I distinguish between “good” precommitment, whereby values to be protected are generally considered to be more prized than the short-term values that threaten them, and “bad,” precommitment to values in the absence of general and ordinal preferences. Specifically, I examine judicially mandated, creeping precommitment in the context of abortion and free speech rights in Canada.

Résumé. Il y a au cœur du constitutionnalisme un défaut fondamental, ce que Stephen Holmes appelle le paradoxe de la démocratie. D'une part, le préengagement (precommitment) – la constitutionnalisation de certaines règles et valeurs morales fondamentales – représente une contrainte limitant la capacité des citoyens autrement autonomes à se gouverner eux-mêmes. D'autre part, sans cet engagement préalable, l'autonomie devient une proposition précaire. Dans cet article, je fais la distinction entre le «bon» préengagement, portant sur des valeurs morales à protéger qui sont généralement considérées comme étant plus précieuses que les valeurs à court terme qui les menacent, et le «mauvais» préengagement, portant sur des valeurs morales non tranchées par des préférences générales et ordinales. J'examinerai spécifiquement le préengagement rampant, judiciairement autorisé, dans le contexte des droits à l'avortement et à la liberté d'expression au Canada.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 43 , Issue 3 , September 2010 , pp. 689 - 709
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association 2010

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