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: 2011
Province or Territory: New Brunswick
Court: Provincial Court of New Brunswick
Citation: 2011 NBCP 2
Category: Language rights and services to the public
In this caseFootnote 1, Mr. Robichaud was charged with refusing to comply with an order given by a peace officer to provide a breath sample, which is contrary to subsection 254(5) of the...Year: 2011
Province or Territory: Ontario
Court: Federal Court
Citation: 2011 FC 876
Category: Language rights and services to the public
The Federal Court gives precedence to the Official Languages Act (OLA) over an international agreement incorporated into domestic law. a) Background Michel and Lynda Thibodeau (the Thibodeaus) applied for a remedy pursuant to section 77(1) of the ...3. R v Doiron
Year: 2011
Province or Territory: New Brunswick
Court: Provincial Court of New Brunswick
Citation: 2011 NBPC 36
Category: Legislative and judicial bilingualism
The Provincial Court of New Brunswick determined that the language rights of the accused do not extend to the counsel for the accused. Summary In this case, the Crown accused Mr. Doiron of operating a motor vehicle while impaired. The counsel for the defence asked the...Year: 2011
Province or Territory: New Brunswick
Court: Court of Appeal of New Brunswick
Citation: 2011 NBCA 102
Category: Language rights and services to the public
The New Brunswick Court of Appeal confirmed the decisions of the lower courts in R. v Losier,Footnote 1 regarding an accused’s acquittal because his right to communicate with a...5. R. v Pooran
Year: 2011
Province or Territory: Alberta
Court: Provincial Court of Alberta
Citation: 2011 ABPC 77
Category: Legislative and judicial bilingualism
In this caseFootnote 1, the Provincial Court of Alberta provided its interpretation of the scope of the right to have a trial in French in the province. The application for a trial in French was made in a case pursuant to the Traffic Safety...Year: 2011
Province or Territory: Yukon
Court: Supreme Court of the Yukon Territory
Citation: 2011 YKSC 57
Category: Minority-language education rights
The Supreme Court of Yukon gave the concept of “rights holders” a large and liberal interpretation and determined the degree of management and the facilities to be granted to the minority community. a) Background The Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon ...Year: 2011
Province or Territory: Alberta
Court: Supreme Court of Canada
Citation: 2011 SCC 5
Category: Legislative and judicial bilingualism
In this caseFootnote 1, the Supreme Court of Canada had to determine whether and to what extent the courts could order the Crown to fund “public interest” litigation, particularly in the area of language rights. In the more specific context of...Filter by year
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