Court decisions
This database presents summaries of key court decisions in Canada related to official languages and of events relating to language rights since 2003. These summaries have been prepared by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada.
This database is not exhaustive. It was designed to be used as a reference tool for people directly or indirectly interested in language rights. The database is updated on an ongoing basis.
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Year: 2009
Province or Territory: Quebec
Court: Supreme Court of Canada
Citation: 2009 SCC 47
Category: Minority-language education rights
In this judgment, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on the constitutionality of the limits imposed by section 73 of the Charter of the French Language (CFL) regarding eligibility for education in the minority language in Quebec. Under ...Year: 2006
Province or Territory: Quebec
Court: Court of Appeal of Quebec
Citation: 2007 QCCA 1111
Category: Minority-language education rights
The issue in the NguyenFootnote 1 appeal was whether the exclusion of English instruction received in an unsubsidized school from the calculation of the "major part" requirement violates the appellants’ rights under ...Year: 2006
Province or Territory: Quebec
Court: Court of Appeal of Quebec
Citation: 2007 QCCA 1112
Category: Minority-language education rights
The issue in this appealFootnote 1 was whether the exclusion of English instruction pursuant to a special authorization violates the appellants’ rights under section 23(2) of the Charter. The Charter of...Year: 2012
Province or Territory: Ontario
Court: Ontario Court of Appeal
Citation: 2012 ONCA 811
Category: Minority-language education rights
The Ontario Court of Appeal determined whether a child custody order issued by the trial judge was invalidated by the fact that the judge did not consider the language in which the children should be educated. Summary Sole custody of the three children in question had been granted to their mother...Year: 2012
Province or Territory: Northwest Territories
Court: Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories
Citation: 2012 NWTSC 43 / 2012 NWTSC 44
Category: Minority-language education rights
These two proceedings concerned the scope of the obligations of the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) as regards French-language education for the French linguistic minority population of the Northwest Territories. Background Two similar proceedings were initiated, one regarding the...Year: 2008
Province or Territory: Northwest Territories
Court: Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories
Citation: 2008 NWTSC 53
Category: Minority-language education rights
Due to a lack of space and access to certain services at École Boréale in Hay River, the plaintiffs sought an order forcing the government of the Northwest Territories to take immediate measures to address the problems faced by the school. The motion was heard...Year: 2008
Province or Territory: Northwest Territories
Court: Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories
Citation: 2008 NWTSC 65
Category: Minority-language education rights
On July 7, 2008, the Minister of Education of the Northwest Territories issued a directive limiting access to the two schools overseen by the school board to the children of parents who are rights holders under section 23 of the Canadian...Year: 2008
Province or Territory: Northwest Territories
Court: Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories
Citation: 2008 NWTSC 66
Category: Minority-language education rights
In this motion, also heard on August 21, 2008, the government of the Northwest Territories asked the Court to modify the original order compelling the government to take interim measures. The government claimed that it had been taken by surprise by the Court’s order,...Year: 2008
Province or Territory: New Brunswick
Court: Court of Queen’s Bench of New Brunswick
Citation: 2008 NBQB 201
Category: Minority-language education rights
In this case, the Court of Queen’s Bench of New Brunswick was called upon to consider whether the language rights enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (The Charter) ensure the protection of French immersion programs in the province of New Brunswick, as well as...Year: 2005
Province or Territory: Quebec
Court: Supreme Court of Canada
Citation: 2005 SCC 15
Category: Minority-language education rights
In this case,Footnote 1 heard with SolskiFootnote 2, the Supreme Court had to assess the constitutional right to minority language instruction in light of the right to equality. Most...Filter by year
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