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: 2010
Province or Territory: Ontario
Court: Labour rights arbitration tribunal
Citation: [2010] O.L.A.A. No. 666
Category: Legislative and judicial bilingualism
This case involved issues related to the language of hearings and the payment of translation costs for a procedure brought before a labour rights arbitration tribunal. At the beginning of the arbitration proceedings, the union made a request to proceed in English because it did not have the...Year: 2009
Province or Territory: Ontario
Court: Ontario Superior Court
Citation: [2009] O.J. No. 250
Category: Legislative and judicial bilingualism
In this caseFootnote 1, the Ontario Superior Court had to determine the consequences, with respect to the language in which future proceedings would be held, of the filing of an initial document prepared in French for a civil proceeding. It...Year: 2010
Province or Territory: Ontario
Court: Ontario Superior Court
Citation: 2010 CSON 5008
Category: Legislative and judicial bilingualism
This caseFootnote 1 involved issues related to the language of a hearing before a committee of the Ontario Bar. The applicant appealed an order of the Bar committee suspending her licence. The appeal was not heard on the planned date because the...Year: 2010
Province or Territory: Ontario
Court: Ontario Superior Court
Citation: 2010 ONSC 4566
Category: Language rights and services to the public
In this caseFootnote 1, the Ontario Superior Court had to determine whether the Township of Russell (Township) had the jurisdiction to pass a by-law requiring that all exterior commercial signs be in English and in French. The by-law, which was...Year: 2010
Province or Territory: Ontario
Court: Federal Court
Citation: 2010 FC 288
Category: Language rights and services to the public
The purpose of this caseFootnote 1 was to determine whether section 20 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (The Charter) and Part IV of the Official Languages Act (OLA) excluded the possibility for an...Year: 2010
Province or Territory: Ontario
Court: Federal Court
Citation: 2010 FC 999
Category: Vitality and development of official language minority communities
In this caseFootnote 1, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA) filed an application for judicial review before the Federal Court seeking to quash the Order...Year: 2009
Province or Territory: Ontario
Court: Ontario Superior Court
Citation: 98 O.R. (3rd) 220 (Ontario Superior Court of Justice)
Category: Vitality and development of official language minority communities
This applicationFootnote 1 was filed following the budget cuts made by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 2009. On March 25, 2009, the CBC announced...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 ...Year: 2012
Province or Territory: Ontario
Court: Federal Court of Appeal
Citation: 2012 FCA 246
Category: Language rights and services to the public
The Federal Court of Appeal determines the status of the Official Languages Act (OLA) in relation to an international agreement incorporated into domestic law. a) Background Michel and Lynda Thibodeau (the Thibodeaus) applied for a...10. Perron v Perron
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...Filter by year
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