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.
Applied Filter(s)
Year: 2017
Province or Territory: Quebec
Court: Federal Court of Appeal
Citation: 2017 FCA 80
Category: Legislative and judicial bilingualism
Background: This appeal concerned the violation of the constitutional and quasi-constitutional official language rights of the witnesses, of Industrielle Alliance, Assurance et services financiers Inc.’s counsel and of Mr. Mazraani during a hearing before the Tax Court of Canada (TCC). Mr. ...Year: 2017
Province or Territory: Ontario
Court: Federal Court of Appeal
Citation: 2017 FCA 250
Category: Language rights in the federal public service
Background This appeal was brought by the Attorney General and sought to overturn the Federal Court’s judicial review of a decision of the Public Service Commission (PSC). PSC conducted an audit of the Office of the Commissioner for Federal...Year: 2017
Province or Territory: Quebec
Court: Court of Appeal of Quebec
Citation: 2017 QCCA 2055
Category: Vitality and development of official language minority communities
Background This appeal was made following a decision that the appellants, 11 Montréal-area English-speaking merchants, had used promotional material either solely in English or in both English and French but with the latter’s not being predominant, in breach of the Charter of the French...Year: 2017
Province or Territory: Ontario
Court: Federal Court of Appeal
Citation: 2017 FCA 112
Category: Legislative and judicial bilingualism
Background Mr. Ewonde (the appellant), an inmate in a federal prison, initiated three actions against the Crown (the respondent), all drafted in English. These actions became specially managed proceedings under the case management of a judicial officer of the Federal...Year: 2017
Province or Territory: British Columbia
Court: Court of Appeal for British Columbia
Citation: 2018 B.C.J No. 2836, 2016 BCSC 1764
Category: Minority-language education rights
Context The plaintiffs are the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, the Fédération des parents francophones de Colombie-Britannique and parents who are rights holders under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom (the Charter), which provides...Year: 2017
Province or Territory: Quebec
Court: Supreme Court of Canada
Citation: 2018 SCC 50
Category: Legislative and judicial bilingualism
Context The appeal to the Supreme Court concerns the violation of the constitutional and quasi-constitutional official languages rights of witnesses and counsel for Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. (Industrial Alliance) during a hearing before the Tax Court of Canada (TCC...7. R. v Charron
Year: 2017
Province or Territory: Quebec
Court: Quebec Superior Court
Citation: 2018 QCCS 968 (also: [2018] Q.J. No. 4874)
Category: Legislative and judicial bilingualism
Background This case involves the judicial discretion to order that a criminal trial be held before a bilingual jury rather than before one whose members speak only the language of the accused. In this case, the accused, Alain Charron, made a request pursuant to his rights protected under section...Filter by year
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