Note that my derivation of the separation of powers from the
rule of law does not specify the extent to which the executive branch is answerable to, or drawn from, the legislative branch; thus it neither endorses nor rejects the Westminster system per se, although it does warn
against tight party discipline that results in a domination of Parliament by the Executive.
On Friday, January 25, 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada
ruled in a
tight majority judgment (five: McLachlin, Deschamps, Abella, Cromwell and Karakatsanis,
against four: LeBel, Fish, Rothstein and Moldaver) that the Quebec Civil Code discriminates
against common - law spouses because it does not grant them the same rights as married couples in regard to spousal support and division of property.