CBC Archives

Write Supreme Court of Canada on the board and ask students to provide you with as much information as they can on this topic. Record their answers on the board. Provide the class with as much information as necessary to ensure that they all have a basic knowledge of the role of the Supreme Court and the process by which cases ended being heard there, or allow them time to gather that information online and then discuss it as a class.

Explain to the students that they will be examining how the Supreme Court of Canada functions and the role it played in the case of Sue Rodriguez. Have students work in groups of three or four to browse the topic Sue Rodriguez and the Right-to-Die on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site and to collect as much information as they can on the legal battle waged by Sue Rodriguez. Special attention should be paid to Clips 2, 5, & 6 and to the Additional Clip “Behind the Supreme Court’s decision.”

In their groups, students will prepare a dramatization of one of Sue Rodriguez’s court appearances. They should use their knowledge of both sides’ arguments to create a short script that outlines both the arguments of the Crown attorneys and of Sue Rodriguez and her lawyer.

Have students perform their dramatizations for the class. What do people find compelling about the dramatizations?

Students can prepare a Summary of Findings outlining the process of Rodriguez’s legal fight. Their summary can also include an analysis of the Supreme Court’s decision in the case.