At the time this article was written the Honourable Ronald I. Cheffins, QC, was a former Justice of Appeal of the
Courts of Appeal for British Columbia and the Yukon Territory, former Vice-Chair
of the Law Reform Commission of British Columbia, and Professor Emeritus of
the University of Victoria. This is a revised version of a paper prepared for
the Annual Meeting of the Governor General, the Lieutenant Governors, and the Commissioners of the Territories, held at Victoria, BC on November 22-23, 1999.