<P> Canadian constitutional law (French: droit constitutionnel du Canada) is the area of Canadian law relating to the interpretation and application of the Constitution of Canada by the courts . All laws of Canada, both provincial and federal, must conform to the Constitution and any laws inconsistent with the Constitution have no force or effect . </P> <P> In Reference re Secession of Quebec, the Supreme Court characterized four fundamental and organizing principles of the Constitution (though not exhaustive): federalism; democracy; constitutionalism and the rule of law; and respect for minorities . </P> <P> Under the authority of section 52 (1) of the Constitution Act, 1982, courts may review all matters of law . Accordingly, the courts have a broad reaching scope of competence . Constitutional issues come before the court through disputes between parties as well as through reference questions . The court has the discretion to hear any Constitutional issues as long as there is a sufficient legal component . The US constitutional political questions doctrine was rejected and so a political dimension to the issue does not bar it from court . </P> <P> Courts must be careful when considering reference questions . They are required to be careful to only answer questions that are not speculative, of a purely political nature, or unripe . When answering the questions the court must retain its proper role within the constitutional framework . </P>

Who decides whether a law follows the constitution or not