Collective Bargaining, Labour Law, and the Charter in the Supreme Court of Canada, 1987 to 2017
Author | Steven Barrett & John Craig |
Pages | 293-378 |
CollectiveBargaining
LabourLawandtheCharter
intheSupremeCourtofCanada
to
StevenBarreJohnCraig*
ThischapterprovidesanoverviewandanalysisoftheSupremeCourt
ofCanadasshiftingapproachtotheguaranteeoffreedomofassocia
tionundersectiondoftheCanadian Charter of Rights and Freedomsas
itappliestolabourrelationsandcollectivebargainingWefocusonthe
Courtstreatmentofthequestionofwhethersectiondincludescon
stitutionalprotectionfortherighttoorganizetherighttocollectively
bargainandtherighttostrikeWhiletheCourtsapproachinapply
ingthejusticatorycriteriaundersectionoftheChartertolegislation
itndsunconstitutionalandtheresultingremedialquestionsarealso
signicantissuesinconsideringtheambitofassociationalrightsthis
chapterisdirectedattheCourtsdelineationofthescopeandcontentof
sectionditself
InPartAwetracetheevolutionoftheCourtsthinkingasitrelates
toconstitutionalprotectionfororganizingbargainingandstrikeactiv
ityInourviewanunderstandingofthedoctrinaldevelopmentofthe
Courtsunderstandingofsectiondiscriticaltoanyappreciationof
theCourtspresentviewandhowthatviewmayevolveinfuturecases
PartAbeginswiththeinitialjudicialcreationofavirtualnogozone
establishedbythefreedomofassociationtrilogyThisrestrictiveap
proachtotherecognitionofcollectivebargainingrightsundersectiond
StevenBarreismanagingpartneratGoldblaPartnersLLPJohnCraigisa
partnerinthelabourandemploymentdepartmentatFaskenLLPandanassistant
professoratWesternLaw
SBJC
wastolastforalmostfteenyearsbutbegantoerodewithamoreex
pansive conception of the protection for union organi zing activity in
Dunmore and for collective bargaining itsel f in Health Services
. Thisgrowingrecognitionofabroaderscopeforsectiondin
labourrelationsandcollectivebargainingwastemporarilyinterrupted
byamorecautiousandreactionarypauseinFrase r whichsanc
tioned a separate and somewhat anemic collective bargaini ngr egime
foragriculturalworkersHoweverfouryearslaterinthetrilogy
theCourtreturnedtoabroadandpurposiveconceptionofthescope
ofsectiondprotectionparticularlyinMPAOandinSFL,whichex
tendedsectiondprotectiontotherighttostrikeMostrecentlyhow
eversomeuncertaintyhasbeencreatedastotheprecisecontoursofthe
righttobargaincollectivelybytheCourtsbriefandcrypticreasonsin
BCTF
PartBthenturnstoanassessmentofwhatweregardasthreeof
themostimportantunresolvedissuesarisingfromtheSupremeCourt
of Canadasrevised approach to freedom of associat ioni n the labour
relations and collective bargaini ng eld the role of prelegislative
consultationinsatisfyingthesectiondrequirementforameaningful
processofcollectivebargainingthecurrentstatusofthesubstantial
interferencetestforaviolationofsectiondandtheimpactofthe
Courtsrevisedapproachtosectiondonthelawofforcedassociation
AOVERVIEWOFTHESCCSEVOLVING
APPROACH TO SECTION (D)
FreedomofAssociationTrilogy
Whilesectiondappliestoallassociationalactivityithasbeenmost
litigated and its meaning most hotly contested in its application to
labourrelationsIntherstyearsaftertheenactmentoftheCharterin
whatcametobeknownasthefreedomofassociationtrilogythe
Courtwasfacedwiththreeseparatechallengestolegislationinterfer
ingwithfundamentalcomponentsofthecollectivebargainingsystem
IntheReference Re Public Service Employee Relations Act (Alta)case the
challengedlegislationlimitedtherighttostrikeforpublicsectorwork
ersInRetail, Wholesale and Department Store Union v Saskatchewan th e
Saskatchewan Dairy Workerscaselegislationorderingstrikingworkers
SCRAlberta Reference
SCR
Collective Bargaining, Labour Law, and the CharterintheSupremeCourt
backtoworkwasatissueInthePublic Service Alliance of Canada v Canada
casethelegislationunderchallengeoverrodefreelynegotiatedcollect
iveagreementsandimposedwagecontrolsThethreecasesraisedthe
questionofwhethersectiondprovidedconstitutionalprotectionfor
collectivebargainingortherighttostrike
InthetrilogytheSupremeCourtofCanadaadoptedarestrict
ivea ndn arrow approach to the scope and content of the freedom of
associationguaranteeonedepartingfromthebroadandpurposiveap
proach the Court had articulated in relation to other Charterrightsand
freedomsInthetrilogytheCourtruledthatfreedomofassociationdid
notincludearighttocollectivebargainingorstrikeRatherthefreedom
extended protection only to the right to form and join an as sociation
whatcanbedescribedasformativeactivityInadditionsomemem
bers of the Court while reject ing protection for collective bargaining
activityrecog nized doctri nally that section dshould extend to the
right to engage collectively in those associational act ivities that were
otherwiselawfulwhencarriedoutbyanindividual
While the four members of the Cour ts majority had dierent
reasons for rejecting a n expansive reach for collective bargaining in
thesphereoflabourrelationstheyputforwardfourbasicrationalesin
supportoftheconclusionthattheCharterdidnotprotectcollectivebar
gainingortherighttostrikenamely
a therightstobargaincollectivelyandtostrikeweremodernrights
createdbylegislationandwerenotthekindoffundamentalfree
domsthattheCharterprotected
brecognizing a r ightto collec tive bargaining would interfere with
government regulation of labour relations and the court s should
defertogovernmentsinthesensitiveareaofcalibratingthebalance
ofpowerbetweenunionsandemployers
c sectiondwasnotintendedtoprotecttheobjectsgoalsoractiv
itiesofassociationand
SCRPSAC
SeeforexampleinthesectionbcontexttheSupremeCourtofCanadas
decision in IrwinToyLtdvQuébecAorneyGeneralSCRdealingwith
theexpressionguaranteeinsectionboftheCharterTheretheCourttookavery
broadapproachtothecontentofsectiondrejectingadistinctionbetweenbelief
andactionandrulingthatsectionbprotectsanyactivityintendingtoconvey
meaningieallexpressiveactivitywithviolentactivityconstitutingtheonly
exceptionBycontrastthemajorityintheAlberta Reference held that there is no s ec
tiondprotectionforpurelyorinherentlyassociationalactivityregardlessofits
natureorpurpose
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