BOOK REVIEWSREVUE ICES LIVRES

Traité de droit civil . Les obligations . Le contrat. Par JACQUESGHESTIN . Paris: Librairie générale de droit et de jurisprudence .1980. Pp. 846. (Prix non indiqué)

Un ouvrage remarquable arrive de France . Il a été écrit par monsieurJacques Ghestin, professeur à la Faculté de droit de l'Université deParis I, dite Panthéon-Sorbonne, qui a déjà signé de très nombreusespublications . Ce volume fait d'ailleurs partie d'un nouveau traité dedroit civil sous sa direction et dont le premier tome est l'oeuvreconjointe des professeurs Ghestin et Gilles Goubeaux . l

Dans l'ouvrage qui vient de paraître, il s'agit en fait de lapremière tranche du traité sur le contrat, comprenant ses éléments deformation, la théorie des nullités ainsi qu'un essai sur les principes etcaractères essentiels du contrat, sur lequel je reviendrai . Le planassez classique, une présentation didactique, les tables habituellesrendent la consultation facile . Certains trouveront un peu lourd,peut-être, le style des plus classiques . Ce qui place ce traité à partdes autres, c'est la profondeur et le dynamisme dont l'auteur a faitpreuve dans l'analyse des règles dé droit privé.

Toutes les règles sont passées au crible, quant à leur rigueur,quant à leur opportunité; toutes les explications déjà proposées ettoutes les théories sont remises en question. Des nouvelles propositions sont formulées chaque fois que nécessaire . A cet égard,l'ouvrage de monsieur Ghestin , devient l'outil indispensable desprofesseurs désireux de rajeunir leur enseignement, des étudiants etchercheurs commis à l'avancement du droit ainsi que des praticiensconfrontés au défit de débattre des questions inédites ou descontroverses doctrinales ou jurisprudentielles .

Cette vigueur intellectuelle se manifeste d'abord par une grandesensibilité aux phénomènes juridiques contemporains . Je melimiterai à quelques exemples, susceptibles d'intéresser particulièrement les Québécois. Une part importante est réservée à la

1 Traité de droit civil. Introduction générale (1977) .

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protection du consommaaeuur 2 y sont notamment étudiées les clausesabusives, l'obligation d'informer l'emprunteur, dans le contrat, ducoût réel du crédit accordé, les clauses de renvoi au texte intégral ducontrat ou au contrat principal (master contract) . Tout un chapitreporte sur l'obligation précontractuelle de renseignements, conçue envue de prévenir les vices du consentement. Des nuances importantessont introduites dans les sanctions des règles d'ordre public, car, sicertaines d'entre elles-rattachées à l'ordre public de direction-continuent d'être sanctionnées par la nullité absolue, il y en ad'autres-les règles appartenant à l'ordre public de protection, tellela protection du consommateur-qui s'apparentent à la nullitérelative, notamment parce que seule la partie protégée peut ensoulever la violation . Enfin, l'auteur illustre son texte, à l'occasion,des dispositions du projet de Code civil québécois?

La richesse de cet ouvrage réside surtout dans la vision globaledu contrat qui y est exposée . Dans une partie distincte, véritableessai ou thèse abrégée, monsieur Ghestin fait des observations etformule des propositions qui, pour l'essentiel, sont loin de resterétrangères au droit québécois . L'auteur montre d'abord que laconception même du Code civil français n'était pas aussi imbue del'autonomie de la volonté que la doctrine l'affirme généralement (etl'on sait à quel point nos codificateurs s'inspirèrent de ce code . . .) .Puis il démontre que la justification et le régime même del'autonomie de la volonté se sont affaiblis au cours des ans, surtoutdans les dernières décennies, sous le coup de deux phénomènesparallèles (et non étrangers l'un à l'autre) : le premier est évidemmentl'inégalité des parties, qui est devenue de plus en plus marquée et quis'est répandue dans la plupart des secteurs de l'économie (soumis-sion des employés aux employeurs, des distributeurs aux producteursde biens et de services, des consommateurs aux distributeurs etproducteurs, des clients aux professionnels, etc . ) ; la standardisationdu contrat, second phénomène qui mine l'autonomie de la volonté,s'est manifestée non seulement dans le contrat d'adhésion dont onparle souvent, mais aussi dans le contrat type, rédigé soit par desparticuliers, qui d'ailleurs sont souvent étrangers au contrat lui-même (le producteur pour la vente entre le détaillant et leconsommateur, le Bureau des soumissions déposées pour la forma-tion du contrat d'entreprise entre deux constructeurs, etc.), soit parl'administration publique (les appels d'offres)'} . "Les rédacteurs des

2 Loi du 10 janvier 1978 sur la protection et l'information des consommateurs .Rapport sur le Code civil du Québec (1977) .

} On pourrait ajouter pour le Québec le cas du bail type d'habitation, imposé parle législateur lui-même en 1973 (art . 1664n et 1664o C .c .) ; dans le nouveau régime,le bail type d'habitation sera l'oeuvre de la Régie du logement (art . 1651 .1 et 1651 .3C.c ., introduits par la Loi instituant la Régie du logement et modifiant le Code civil

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contrats types, observe monsieur Ghestin, exercent . . . un pouvoirréglementaire de fait . Ils substituent aux dispositions légalessupplétives un droit contractuel nouveau . "5

D'autre part, l'ordre public s'élève, tel un contre-poids, àmesure que l'autonomie de la volonté glisse dans l'ombre . Certes,l'ordre public politique et moral, le plus important au XIXQ siècle,conserve une place non négligeable (organisation de l'État, de lafamille, etc . ) . Mais l'ordre public économique et social connaît uneforte expansion et prend un rôle de premier plan : s'il est depuislongtemps le véhicule d'une politique d'interventionnisme, pourassurer une authentique concurrence dans notre système de libreentreprise,' il est aussi devenu l'instrument d'un certain dirigisme(nationalisation de l'électricité, transports en commun, etc.) et, plusrécemment, d'une politique de protection (assurance, salaireminimum, protection des consommateurs, etc .) . Ce mouvement estsi profond et si puissant que l'auteur peut affirmer que l'ordre publicdevient "le cadre normal dans lequel le droit positif donne au contratsa force obligatoire" .'

Après que d'autres eurent annoncé le déclin de la responsabilitéindividuelle, 8 monsieur Ghestin proclame donc aujourd'hui le déclinde l'autonomie de la volonté .

Real Estate Law . By B .J . REITER, B.A., LL .B ., B .C.L., AssociateProfessor of Law, University of Toronto and R.C .B . RISK,B.A., LL.B ., LL.M., Professor of Law, University of Toronto .Toronto : Emond-Montgomery Limited . 1979 . Pp . 1210 .($55 .00)

The authors are both members of the Faculty of Law at theUniversity of Toronto with well-earned reputations for combiningthe best facets of their chosen vocation with a knowledgeable grasp

et d'autres dispositions législatives, Assemblée Nationale du Québec, 31e législa-ture, 4e session, projet de loi 107, 1979).

No 63 .

PIERRE-GABRIEL JOBIN*

s Voir à titre d'exemple la Loi des enquêtes sur les coalitions, S.R.C ., 1970, c.C-23 .

' P. vi .s Geneviève Viney, Le déclin de la responsabilité individuelle (1965) .

Pierre-Gabriel Jobin, Professeur à l'Université McGill, Montréal .

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of the realities of the practical world inhabited by real propertylawyers and their clients . They describe Real Estate Law as primarilya casebook for use by students in law schools, but perhaps renderthemselves less than justice in believing that its main utility topractitioners lies only in the presentation of case law, authorities,notes and questions .

The tone of Real Estate Law is set by the first chapter, whichtakes the reader through a sample house purchase from beginning toend, utilizing complete illustrations of virtually every documentrelevant to such a transaction as actually used in Ontario . Thenarrative explanatory of what takes place is directed at the lowestcommon denominator, yet provides a concise, albeit complete,account of every step along the way from the listing of the house bythe vendor with the realtor to the submission of their report on titleby the solicitors for the purchasers . This chapter, more than anyother, is clearly directed at the student with little or no priorexperience, and such a reader would find it difficult not to grasp theordered progression of the transaction or the wider context andunderlying reasons for each development .

The balance of Part I of Real Estate Law is devoted to eightchapters, each dealing with a particular aspect of an Agreement ofPurchase and Sale . That dealing with The Planning Act' isparticularly well done, and its format is typically representative ofthe entire book after Chapter one. It commences with a shortintroduction to the subject, then quotes at length from texts by otherwell-known authorities and from the Act itself . Then follow theactual judgments, sometimes verbatim, sometimes edited, from theimportant leading cases in chronological sequence, each interspacedwith additional comment and questions . To a practitioner, thequestion technique might at first prove a little irritating until it isrealized that the authors are attempting to make the reader think forhimself and to recognize that the practice of real property law mustbe seen in the much wider context of both general law and ofdevelopments in social values .

Part II deals in detail with the two separate land registrationsystems in Ontario and includes not only a complete chapter on thefrightening array of adverse claims not found in the Land RegistryOffice but also a scholarly analysis of future options, particularlytopical in view of the recent approval in principle by the OntarioCabinet of the Province of Ontario Land Registration and Informa-tion Service (POLARIS) Report and the impending implementationof the first stages of the POLARIS recommendations .

' R.S.O ., 1970, c. 349, as am .

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All eleven chapters in Part III define and discuss the rights andremedies of vendors and purchasers when transactions fail to close .Here, the authors are rightly conscious of the modern trend awayfrom the belief that somehow real estate remedies are a law untothemselves or significantly different from contract remedies gener-ally . Surprisingly, whilst Bain v . Fothergill 2 is dealt with at length,the judgment of Laskin J. (as he then was) in Highway PropertiesLtd. v. Kelly, Douglas & Co ., I a landmark in the modern trend ifever there was one, is cavalierly dismissed in one short paragraphand then only as a quotation from a judgment of the British ColumbiaCourt of Appeal in another case.

Part IV, dealing with Mortgages in thirteen separate chaptersranging from a basic introduction to the topic to the esotericdoctrines of marshalling and consolidation constitutes, perhaps, anacademic overkill for law students of a subject which is complicatedenough for a reader with many years of practical experience behindhim. This is a long way from saying that the material is soextravagant in content as totally to detract from its merit. Farfrom it ;dealing with unconscionability, for example, the price of admissionis almost fully recovered by the treatment accorded to LordDenning's judgment in the 1974 English case of Lloyds Bank v.Bundy, 4 a horror story of inequality of bargaining powerbetween aBank, who took security from the father of a customer, and thefather, who lacked independent advice .

Lastly, a complete chapter is devoted to Condominium, whichloses little from the coming into force, on June 1st, 1979, of most ofthe new Condominium Acts whilst the book was at the printer. Oneof the authors is well known for his expertise in this topic and, withthe acknowledged contributions of Audrey Loeb Burns, a solicitorwith the responsible Ministry, and of Bradley McLellan, the readeris guided through the historical background, the legislation, experi-ence in other jurisdictions, organization and administration of thecorporation, termination and what little jurisprudence exists .

The Index is concise and the Tables of Statutes and of Cases arewell set out and comprehensive . A sample checking of the casesdisclosed only one omission in the Table of a case referred to in thetext .

As the authors themselves acknowledge, their book does not,and does not pretend to, cover every topic implicit in its title. Tax

2 (1874), L.R . 7 H.L . 158, [19741 All E.R . 83, 43 L.J . 243.3 [19711 S .C .R . 562 .4 [197413 All E.R . 757, [197413 W.L.R . 501 (C.A .) .5 S .O ., 1978, c. 84 .

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aspects of real estate transactions, for example, are not addressed,amongst others . Its overall value to law students cannot be doubtedso long as they can take or leave portions of it, particularly the moreturgid sections of the chapters dealing with mortgages . For thepracticing real property lawyer in the common law provinces,particularly Ontario, there is much of significant value, for in few, ifany, other places will the practitioner find the history, the statutesand the leading cases so skilfully presented and interwoven witheditorial observations coupled, occasionally, with provocative orthoughtful questions . Such a reader will not learn, and hopefullydoes not need to learn, how to handle a practical real propertytransaction but should readily and easily increase his knowledge ofthe applicable law and of the relevant developments underlying thatlaw and the interpretation thereof by judicial and other experts . Bytheir own values, Professor Reiter and Professor Risk have earned atleast a B plus .

GARTH MANNING

Defective Goods . Essential Business Law . By MICHAEL WHINCUP .London : Sweet and Maxwell . 1979 . Pp . viii, 88 . ($4 .15)

Defective Goods by Michael Whincup is one of the small volumes inSweet and Maxwell's Essential Business Law series which has beendesigned to present various areas of business law in nutshell form tobusinessmen . The volume under review specifically aims to providea general guide to consumers as well as retailers and manufacturersin respect of such topics as defective goods and services, manufac-turers' and distributors' liabilities, illegal advertising, the control ofhigh pressure sales techniques and access to legal aid and advice .The law is expounded clearly and concisely and while the volume iswell-written, in the final analysis, it presents "lawyer's law" ratherthan a truly, explanatory introduction for the layperson . Thus, thevolume is, unintentionally, a hardy pocket guide for the law studentand lawyer .

Especially useful in this regard is the discussion in chapter twoof sections 12-15 of the Sale of Goods Act, 1893 1 (in Ontario,sections 13-16), 2 where the constituent parts of each section arehighlighted and discussed . For a different reason, chapter six is also

* Garth Manning, Q.C ., of Borden & Elliot, Toronto, Chairman, Real PropertySection, Canadian Bar Association, Ontario .

' 1893, c . 71 (U.K .) ; see now 1979, c . 54 (U.K .) .z R.S.O ., 1970, c . 472 .

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of interest to the Canadian reader concerned about law reformmodels because- it contains a thorough catalogue of Englishlegislative controls to prevent the abuse of superior bargainingposition by manufacturers, retailers, advertisers and sundry others .Particularly fulsome description is found of the Trade DescriptionsAct, 19683 which regulates advertising standards and the FairTrading Act, 1973 4 which established the Office of Fair Tradingheaded by the Director-General of Fair Trading who fulfils a"Consumer Ombudsman" role . While the Director-General is notempowered to litigate on behalf of individual consumers, he ispermitted to overview the general working of consumer protectionlaw, to encourage trade associations to draw up codes of practice fortheir members which saféguard consumer interests and to authorisethe publication of advice and information booklets for consumers .He is also permitted to exercise more direct control over theactivities of - individual traders in that where public complaintssuggest that a trader has persistently acted in a manner detrimental toconsumers so as to breach his civil or criminal duties, theDirector-General may ask the Restrictive Practices Court or a countycourt to make an order against him, breach of which is contempt ofcourt leading to fine or imprisonment . The operation and effective-ness of this Office will be closely monitored because of itsemployment of both administrative and criminal sanctions in areastraditionally considered amenable to civil controls and sanctionsonly .

Chapter five entitled, "Exclusion Clauses and Other UnfairTerms", is devoted to yet another analysis of the Unfair ContractTerms Act, 1977 5 which enacted statutory controls on certaindrafting techniques to exclude liability for negligence and breach ofcontract . The Act is examined section by section in a somewhatpedantic and uncritical manner . In addition the author sets out in a"grid" the main effects of this Act, thus amusing the presentreviewer who had suggested earlier in a comment on the Act that thefull complexity of the provisions could best be displayed bydiagram.' Unfortunately the grid does not do full justice to the Act.The linchpin of the Unfair Contract Terms Act is-the standard ofreasonableness against which exclusion clauses are to be measuredyet the author devotes one short paragraph to an explanation of theconcept, which is quite unsatisfactory . Moreover, the authorconcludes that the Act will be of the "greatest benefit" to the

3 1968, c. 29 (U.K .) .a 1973, c. 41 (U.K .) .s 1977, c. 50 (U .K .) .s (1979), 4 Can. Bus. L.J . 97, at p. 110. See also Sealy, [19781 Cam. L.J . 15

and Coote, (1978) 41 Mod. L. Rev. 312 .

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consumer-a conclusion shared by few, if any, other studies of theAct. In fact, the usefulness of the Unfair Contract Terms Act inprotecting consumers has yet to be proven and most commentatorsdoubt that it does much beyond further complicating the law .

It would be unfair to cavil and carp about topics omitted orissues superficially described rather than analysed ; within theparameters established by the series and the little volume itself, thejob is well done.

M. H. OGILVIE*

Company Structure . Essential Business Law . By GEOFFREY MORSE .London : Sweet and Maxwell . 1979 . Pp . vii, 86 . ($4 .15)

Whether business law is booming because businessmen are moreinterested naturally or because its very proliferation since the SecondWorld War has forced them to be cognizant of its impact on theconduct of business is difficult to assess . Whatever the reason, it isclear that there is a growing market for books on business law andSweet and Maxwell has responded with a series of small books,Essential Business Law published in 1979, one of which is GeoffreyMorse's Company Structure . The purpose of the series is to presentin a number of small volumes the most important areas of businesslaw to businessmen, and volumes are planned, inter alia, on agency,arbitration, insurance and international trade . The purpose is bothcommendable and necessary, indeed these little books should alsointerest the lay person and even provide a convenient nutshell for lawstudents . The series has been designed for the English market, butCompany Structure is useful to Canadian businessmen who dobusiness in England and their legal advisers and also to Canadian lawstudents looking for a brief survey of the basic principles of companylaw, especially in those provinces with English-model Acts .

The chapter headings indicate the topics covered : "GeneralConstraints on the Company's Activities", "Shareholders andGeneral Meetings", "The Directors", "Abuse of Power-MajorityControl and Minority Protection", and "Administration of theCompany" . In short, the book conveys in précis form thefundamental principles of company law . But its strength in thisregard is also its weakness. To the student of company law this is ahandy reference but the expressed purpose of the book is to explain

*M.H . Ogilvie, of the Department of Law, Carleton University, Ottawa .

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the legal fabric of a company to the, businessman and a mere précis oflaw does not fully satisfy that purpose .

Unexpected in a book of this kind is chapter seven, "The Roleof the Employees-Industrial Democracy", in which one of theburning issues in the Common Market, although not yet in Canada,is briefly examined . Gone are the days of Mr. Gradgrind andDombey and Sons; indeed even the City Code on Take-overs andMergers drawn up for investors, requires that directors must act on atake-over in the interests of the employees as well as theshareholders . In addition, all offer documents must state the bidder'sintentions "with regard to the continued employment of theemployees of the offeree company" . The author investigates theproposed changes which are likely to change the entire complexionof companies and company law . The impetus for worker participa-tion in company management comes not only from the labour unionsbut also from other member states of the European EconomicCommunity, particularly Germany where one-third of the supervi-sory board of the company has one-third of its members elected bythe workers and where since 1976 companies numbering in excess of2,000 workers must have equal board representation of workers andshareholders . Participation is also found below the managementlevel by means of a "works council" in large companies which isentitled to receive detailed information about the day-to-daymanagement and to contribute to proposed changes .

In 1978 the Labour government produced a White Paper entitledIndustrial Democracy' which proposed: (i) that companies employ-ing more than 500 workers should discuss all major proposalsaffecting the employees before decisions are made; (ii) a statutoryright of employers to representation on the board of directors ; (iii)the division of the present board into a two-tier board, oneresponsible for the day-to-day management of the company and theother to generally oversee and supervise ; (iv) the development ofprofit-sharing schemes such as savings-related share optionschemes, deferred profit-sharing schemes or simply an annual bonusfrom company profits . To date the trade unions have been hesitant toabandon collective bargaining, fearing that participation will com-promise their independence in wage negotiations, that participationin decision-making would entail responsibility for decisions madeand that employee-directors will be placed in a conflict of interestsituation in which the principle of acting bona fide for the benefit ofthe company is easier said than done .

1 (1978), Cmnd. 7231 .

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Company Structure is an interesting and within its limitedscope, a useful, little book .

M.H. OGILVIE*

An Introduction to International Law, ChiefTy as Interpreted andApplied in Canada . By S. A . WILLIAMs and A . L . C . DEMESTRAL . Toronto : Butterworths . 1979 . Pp . 338. ($12 .50)

This book is intended to serve as an introduction to both publicinternational law in general, and Canadian views and practice inparticular . On the whole, it succeeds very well in meeting this dualpurpose, although one foot sometimes appears to hold back theother . Modest in scope, the work is none the less useful and timely .Law making (and breaking) is a growth industry on the world scene .Canada is among the leading participants in this law-making process,which itself has undergone a virtual revolution in the last twentyyears . International law increasingly affects the lives of Canadians,from the fishermen enjoying higher catches and better returns withinthe 200-mile limit, to the Indian woman appearing before the HumanRights Committee to air her grievances about her loss of "status" .(As pointed out by Miss Williams and Mr. de Mestral, "no less than20 per cent of the Revised Statutes of Canada, 1970, implement inwhole or in part different rules of international customary or treatylaw" .) The public, the press, politicians, and professors andpractitioners of "real" law cannot afford to be ignorant in thesubject . All will find in this book the basic information they need,presented for the first time, in a general work, from the Canadianperspective . Certainly, it is already proving its usefulness forCanadian diplomats .

In eighteen well-organized chapters, the authors cover the mostimportant topics of traditional public international law, and some ofthe newer areas as well (environmental law, for instance) . Thesetopics are closely related to the cases and materials in Professor J.-G .Castel'sInternational Lain casebook, and students will no doubt findthe two volumes useful companion texts, as the authors intended .

Inevitably, in a book of this kind, the treatment of somequestions is sketchy, but the review of basic principles and theoriesis more than adequate for all but the specialized reader . At the sametime, the citations from Canadian practice are sufficient to bringhome to the citizen the significance of the subject in this country,and to put together for the foreigner a coherent picture ofinternational law as we know it in Canada .

M.H . Ogilvie, of the Department of Law, Carleton University, Ottawa .

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In one area at least, however, Miss Williams and Mr. deMestralmay have been somewhat too rigid in adhering to the limitations theyset for themselves . Canada's federal character has a deep andgrowing influence on Canadian approaches to international law andlaw making . Even for the purposes of an introductory work, theauthors might have done more to bring out the scope, complexity andsignificance of the federal fact . Here, of course, one's views maywell be coloured as much by what is still to come as by what has goneon before, but the impact of federalism even today merits greaterconsideration in such fields as the law of the sea, fisheries or theenvironment - not to mention a mundane matter like diplomaticprivileges .

On the subject of unitary states, a Scottish jury might retort"not proven" to the authors' assertion that the United Kingdom is atypical example of a country with a single legal system . Movingfrom the

sensitivities of Scottish nationalists to those of 'theDepartment of External Affairs, it is not quite accurate to say that theadoption of the Diplomatic and Consular Privileges and ImmunitiesAct in 1977 "enabled Canada to ratify the Vienna Convention" .What the authors no doubt meant to write was that this legislationwas necessary to implement (not ratify) the two Vienna Conven-tions, which in fact were ratified by Canada in May, 1966 . By anassociation of ideas which is now sadly automatic, the subject ofdiplomatic immunity brings to mind the United States hostages inIran ; without reference to the "Tehran incident", however, onewould still have to question the proposition that states only issuepassport to persons who are their nationals .

This welcome book is of particular interest in its introduction tothe law of the sea, the international law of fisheries, internationalenvironmental law, and the law of treaties, in part because Canadahas been closely associated with these important subjects, and in partbecause Mr. de Mestral's own personal association with the firstthree (as a member of various Canadian negotiating teams) gives totheir treatment more than usual practical insight and immediacy . Onewonders, however, how to reconcile the experience of the third lawof the sea conference with the statement, in an earlier chapter, thatthe concept of legal equality of states was responsible for the rulerequiring unanimity on certain treaties, and that this rule is nowbeing overcome by a trend towards majority voting and decisions .Consensus has been the procedure followed at the law of the seaconference, and its use is spreading. Consensus of course is not thesame as unanimity, as it is also a far cry from majority voting anddecisions; its peculiar advantages and disadvantages merit carefulstudy.

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As to internal treaty-making procedures, some greater precisionmight be brought to the discussion of this subject . The respectiveroles of Cabinet and of the Governor in Council must be distin-guished .

In strict practical and procedural terms, the Secretary of Statefor External Affairs (not the Prime Minister) plays the "preponder-ant role" in the negotiation and conclusion of treaties . Politicalauthorization to conclude a treaty must be sought from Cabinet (orfrom the Ministers most directly concerned in the case of agreementsof limited interest, but in every case from the Secretary of State forExternal Affairs), while executive authority is obtained from theGovernor in Council in the form of an Order in Council, uponsubmissions by the Secretary of State for External Affairs . The Orderin Council constitutes authority for signature of the agreement . Suchauthority is required for all treaty action in Canada, whether by wayof signature, ratification, accession, approval or acceptance .

Other small errors and omissions might be noted, but they donot seriously detract from the value of the book and can readily becorrected in a second edition . A plea for the services of a good editormay perhaps be forgiven . Surely Selden, as the proponent of themare clausum, deserves to have his name spelled correctly in aCanadian lawbook.

For a country where judges cannot quite decide whetherinternational law is part of the law of the land, Canada has adistinguished record in the development of the international legalorder. Miss Williams and Mr. de Mestral do credit to that record, inmore ways than one . A workmanlike book, which serves a real need.

L.H. LEGAULT *FRANÇOIS MATHYS I

International Law in The Netherlands . Edited by H.F . VANPANHUYS and OTHERS . Alphen aan den Rijn : Sijthoff &Noordhoff; Dobbs Ferry : Oceana . Vol 1, 1978 . Pp . xxiv and537 . Vol 2, 1979. Pp. xx and 388 . ($40.00 U.S., per vol .)

Recent years have seen an increase in the number of countriesfollowing the precedent set by the United States at the end of thenineteenth century, making available some evidence of the practiceof the particular state in the realm of international law . The latestcountry to join this group is The Netherlands and the first two

* L.H . Legault, Legal Adviser to the Department of External Affairs and DirectorGeneral of the Department's Legal Bureau .

t François Mathys, Director of the Bureau's Legal Advisory Division.

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volumes of a three-volume set devoted to International Law in TheNetherlands are now available . This series differs from most of thosepublished elsewhere, for the latter tend to be digests of state practiceas evidenced in treaties, state papers, official statements and judicialdecisions, occasionally fleshed out by doctrinal comment, especiallywhere this accords with the view of the state concerned . In the caseof The Netherlands, a different approach has been used . Instead, itwas decided by the Academic Committee of the T.M.C . AsserInstitute of International Law at The Hague, under the leadership andstimulus of the late Professor Van Panhuys of Leyden University, toselect a number of important topics and for a variety of scholars tocomment on these in the light of The Netherlands views and practice .

The first volume has ten chapters grouped under three headings :(1) the past to the present expounding the legal status of the countrycovering the period from about 1250 when the Emperor Frederick IIdied until the end of the first century of the Netherland Kingdom,1914 ; (11) seas and waterways in which consideration is given tointernational rivers-the Rhine, the Meuse and the Scheldt-, thecontinental shelf and international fisheries law; and (III) participa-tion in the international legal system as evidenced by treaty-making,recognition and the problem of state succession concerningtreaties-the latter section reproduces some interesting differencesof view arising out of the Singapore decision in Re Westerling . l InVolume 2 the editors have turned their attention to (IV) internationalorganization and integration as demonstrated by the role of theNetherlands in relation to the United Nations, Benelux and Europe,with only passing references to the League ; (V) criminal matters,that' is to say supranational criminal law, as understood in bothmunicipal and international law, and extradition ; (VI) the peacefulsettlement of disputes and disarmament, with particular reference tothe treaty practice of The Netherlands since 1945 . Volume 3, whenpublished, will cover The Netherlands attitudes and approaches inrelation to war and neutrality .

One of the interesting features of this work that is not to befound in most other accounts of the national approach is chapter 4 ofPart I . It is well known that Grotius is generally regarded as the"father" of international law, even though there were others whowrote before him and whose views he often adopted or adapted . Thisparticular chapter reflects the national interest in the science ofinternational law that was stimulated by this son of the LowCountries, and is devoted to the extremely fruitful contribution ofDutch scholars to that science during the century 1814-1914 . Thiscontribution is by no means finished, as the two volumes themselves

1 (1950), pp . 428-429 .

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THE CANADIAN BAR REVIEW

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indicate, and the author of the paper recognizing that fact, ProfessorStuyt, adds a note mentioning the work of François, Tammes andVerzijl, who, at over ninety, is still busily preparing for publicationthe later volumes of his International Law in Historical Perspective,the first volume of which appeared in 1968 .

From the point ofview of the Canadian reader, confronted as heis with claims and assertions by the "original" peoples, thecomments on the treatment of colonial races,' and the discussion onwhat the Parti-Qu6bécois describes as "sovereignty association"leading to the creation and complete failure of The Netherlands-Indonesian Union, 3 should prove of particular interest .

There is little to be gained by commenting on this or that chapteras illustrative of the Dutch approach and its contribution to thedevelopment of international law . All are equally significant, andwhen the work is complete, despite or because of its own peculiarcharacter, it will provide a useful contribution to the comparativestudy of international law, enabling all international lawyers, be theypractitioners, teachers or students, to examine how far a particularalleged rule of international law is subscribed to by The Netherlands,and so might be cited as further evidence of that "source" describedin Article 38 of the Statute of the World Court as general principlesof law recognized by civilized nations .

L.C . GREEN

z Vol 1, ch . 3 .Vol I, pp . 163-165 .

* L.C . Green, University Professor, University of Alberta, Edmonton .