In Huruglica v Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2014] FCJ No 845, a decision released on August 22, 2014, the Federal Court clarified that the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) serves an appellate, rather than a judicial review, function.
In John Doe v Ontario (Finance), 2014 SCC 36 [John Doe], the Supreme Court of Canada ("SCC") provided a comprehensive explanation of a key provision of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, RSO 1990, c F.31 [FIPPA]. FIPPA is a mechanism that enables individuals to request disclosure of information from government officials (information on making a request can be found here). Within the […]
In 2009, the Conservative government introduced legislation called the Truth in Sentencing Act, SC 2009, c 29 (the "Act"). The Act, which came into force in 2010, amended the Criminal Code by capping the amount of credit judges were allowed to give prisoners for time served before the prisoners' trials. While it had been routine for judges to […]
I It has been said that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a liberal document. On this view, the Charter presupposes an individualistic conception of the rights-bearer. It conceives of persons as having pre-politically discrete identities and as being free, autonomous, and independent of the community. Its function is to “police the boundary that […]
In early August, the Ontario Divisional Court released its decision in Good v Toronto Police Services Board, 2014 ONSC 4583. These proceedings relate to the G20 summit that was held in Toronto in June of 2010. The summit brought world leaders to the city, but also attracted a number of groups conducting demonstrations, some of […]
The issue of alcohol and drug testing in the workplace is certainly a contentious one. Some readers may know anecdotally (or not so anecdotally) of its pervasiveness among oil, or related, industry workers in Alberta. The justification typically given for such policies, which may subject workers to deeply personal tests, is the dangerous nature of […]
On June 13, 2014, Cromwell J., in R v Spencer, 2014 SCC 43, gave a ruling on whether or not Matthew David Spencer had a reasonable expectation of privacy with respect to his subscriber information. Contrary to the decision of the trial judge, Cromwell J. concluded that since “[t]he disclosure of the subscriber information will […]
The decision in Quebec (Commission des normes du travail) v Asphalte Desjardins inc., 2014 SCC 51, demonstrates the Supreme Court of Canada's support for employee protection while leaving an unclear future for Quebeckers who are employed in competitive industries. The case dealt with an employee's notice of resignation and his employer's subsequent attempt to shorten the employee's remaining tenure without […]
In the fall session, the Supreme Court of Canada ("SCC") is set to hear an appeal of Quebec (Attorney General) v Canada (Attorney General), 2013 QCCA 1138 [Long-Gun Registry case]. In the case, Quebec seeks a declaration of constitutional invalidity of section 29 of the Ending the Long-Gun Registry Act ("Bill C-19"). Bill C-19 permits […]
The decision of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP v British Columbia (Human Rights Tribunal), 2012 BCCA 313, previously discussed on this site, has now made its way to the Supreme Court. Canada’s highest court has confirmed the result that Mr. McCormick, an equity partner at Fasken, could not succeed in his claim of age discrimination against […]