LRC Reports

The Recovery of Unauthorized Disbursements of Public Funds (1980)

Keywords: recovery; restitution; disbursement; expenditure; public; fund; money; authority; unauthorized; defence; estoppel; mistake; government; crown; interest; loss; Financial Administration Act; Crown

The common law has formulated an absolute rule that holds that the government has an unqualified right to recover money disbursed from public funds without the requisite statutory authority. This project examines whether reforms are needed to alleviate the hardships that may flow from the strict application of that rule.

Related Files

Below you will find additional, relevant and specific documentation, backgrounders, research, resources, media releases and summaries that have been, or will be incorporated into our final publications and study papers.

If you have questions about these or other specific documents, please reach out to BCLI using our contact page or at the bottom of each page of our website.