Collective Bargaining, Labour Law, and the Charter in the Supreme Court of Canada, 1987 to 2017

AuthorSteven Barrett & John Craig
Pages293-378

CollectiveBargaining
LabourLawandtheCharter
intheSupremeCourtofCanada
to
StevenBarreJohnCraig*
ThischapterprovidesanoverviewandanalysisoftheSupremeCourt
ofCanadasshiftingapproachtotheguaranteeoffreedomofassocia
tionundersectiondoftheCanadian Charter of Rights and Freedomsas
itappliestolabourrelationsandcollectivebargainingWefocusonthe
Courtstreatmentofthequestionofwhethersectiondincludescon
stitutionalprotectionfortherighttoorganizetherighttocollectively
bargainandtherighttostrikeWhiletheCourtsapproachinapply
ingthejusticatorycriteriaundersectionoftheChartertolegislation
itndsunconstitutionalandtheresultingremedialquestionsarealso
signicantissuesinconsideringtheambitofassociationalrightsthis
chapterisdirectedattheCourtsdelineationofthescopeandcontentof
sectionditself
InPartAwetracetheevolutionoftheCourtsthinkingasitrelates
toconstitutionalprotectionfororganizingbargainingandstrikeactiv
ityInourviewanunderstandingofthedoctrinaldevelopmentofthe
Courtsunderstandingofsectiondiscriticaltoanyappreciationof
theCourtspresentviewandhowthatviewmayevolveinfuturecases
PartAbeginswiththeinitialjudicialcreationofavirtualnogozone
establishedbythefreedomofassociationtrilogyThisrestrictiveap
proachtotherecognitionofcollectivebargainingrightsundersectiond
 StevenBarreismanagingpartneratGoldblaPartnersLLPJohnCraigisa
partnerinthelabourandemploymentdepartmentatFaskenLLPandanassistant
professoratWesternLaw
SBJC
wastolastforalmostfteenyearsbutbegantoerodewithamoreex
pansive conception of the protection for union organi zing activity in
Dunmore  and for collective bargaining itsel f in Health Services
. Thisgrowingrecognitionofabroaderscopeforsectiondin
labourrelationsandcollectivebargainingwastemporarilyinterrupted
byamorecautiousandreactionarypauseinFrase r whichsanc
tioned a separate and somewhat anemic collective bargaini ngr egime
foragriculturalworkersHoweverfouryearslaterinthetrilogy
theCourtreturnedtoabroadandpurposiveconceptionofthescope
ofsectiondprotectionparticularlyinMPAOandinSFL,whichex
tendedsectiondprotectiontotherighttostrikeMostrecentlyhow
eversomeuncertaintyhasbeencreatedastotheprecisecontoursofthe
righttobargaincollectivelybytheCourtsbriefandcrypticreasonsin
BCTF
PartBthenturnstoanassessmentofwhatweregardasthreeof
themostimportantunresolvedissuesarisingfromtheSupremeCourt
of Canadasrevised approach to freedom of associat ioni n the labour
relations and collective bargaini ng eld the role of prelegislative
consultationinsatisfyingthesectiondrequirementforameaningful
processofcollectivebargainingthecurrentstatusofthesubstantial
interferencetestforaviolationofsectiondandtheimpactofthe
Courtsrevisedapproachtosectiondonthelawofforcedassociation
AOVERVIEWOFTHESCCSEVOLVING
APPROACH TO SECTION (D)
 FreedomofAssociationTrilogy
Whilesectiondappliestoallassociationalactivityithasbeenmost
litigated and its meaning most hotly contested in its application to
labourrelationsIntherstyearsaftertheenactmentoftheCharterin
whatcametobeknownasthefreedomofassociationtrilogythe
Courtwasfacedwiththreeseparatechallengestolegislationinterfer
ingwithfundamentalcomponentsofthecollectivebargainingsystem
IntheReference Re Public Service Employee Relations Act (Alta)case the
challengedlegislationlimitedtherighttostrikeforpublicsectorwork
ersInRetail, Wholesale and Department Store Union v Saskatchewan th e
Saskatchewan Dairy Workerscaselegislationorderingstrikingworkers
 SCRAlberta Reference
 SCR
Collective Bargaining, Labour Law, and the CharterintheSupremeCourt
backtoworkwasatissueInthePublic Service Alliance of Canada v Canada
casethelegislationunderchallengeoverrodefreelynegotiatedcollect
iveagreementsandimposedwagecontrolsThethreecasesraisedthe
questionofwhethersectiondprovidedconstitutionalprotectionfor
collectivebargainingortherighttostrike
InthetrilogytheSupremeCourtofCanadaadoptedarestrict
ivea ndn arrow approach to the scope and content of the freedom of
associationguaranteeonedepartingfromthebroadandpurposiveap
proach the Court had articulated in relation to other Charterrightsand
freedomsInthetrilogytheCourtruledthatfreedomofassociationdid
notincludearighttocollectivebargainingorstrikeRatherthefreedom
extended protection only to the right to form and join an as sociation
whatcanbedescribedasformativeactivityInadditionsomemem
bers of the Court while reject ing protection for collective bargaining
activityrecog nized doctri nally that section dshould extend to the
right to engage collectively in those associational act ivities that were
otherwiselawfulwhencarriedoutbyanindividual
While the four members of the Cour ts majority had dierent
reasons for rejecting a n expansive reach for collective bargaining in
thesphereoflabourrelationstheyputforwardfourbasicrationalesin
supportoftheconclusionthattheCharterdidnotprotectcollectivebar
gainingortherighttostrikenamely
a therightstobargaincollectivelyandtostrikeweremodernrights
createdbylegislationandwerenotthekindoffundamentalfree
domsthattheCharterprotected
brecognizing a r ightto collec tive bargaining would interfere with
government regulation of labour relations and the court s should
defertogovernmentsinthesensitiveareaofcalibratingthebalance
ofpowerbetweenunionsandemployers
c sectiondwasnotintendedtoprotecttheobjectsgoalsoractiv
itiesofassociationand
 SCRPSAC
 SeeforexampleinthesectionbcontexttheSupremeCourtofCanadas
decision in IrwinToyLtdvQuébecAorneyGeneralSCRdealingwith
theexpressionguaranteeinsectionboftheCharterTheretheCourttookavery
broadapproachtothecontentofsectiondrejectingadistinctionbetweenbelief
andactionandrulingthatsectionbprotectsanyactivityintendingtoconvey
meaningieallexpressiveactivitywithviolentactivityconstitutingtheonly
exceptionBycontrastthemajorityintheAlberta Reference held that there is no s ec
tiondprotectionforpurelyorinherentlyassociationalactivityregardlessofits
natureorpurpose

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