Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon No. 23 v. Yukon (Procureure générale),

• Jurisdiction: Yukon
• Judge: Groberman, Bennett and MacKenzie, JJ.A.
• Neutral Citation: 2014 YKCA 4
• Subject Matter: CIVIL RIGHTS,COURTS,EDUCATION
• Citation: 2014 YKCA 4,(2014), 351 B.C.A.C. 216 (YukCA),351 BCAC 216,(2014), 351 BCAC 216 (YukCA),351 B.C.A.C. 216
• Date: 11 February 2014
• Court: Court of Appeal (Yukon Territory)

Comm. scolaire v. Yukon (P.g.) (2014), 351 B.C.A.C. 216 (YukCA);

    599 W.A.C. 216

MLB headnote and full text

[French language version follows English language version]

[La version française vient à la suite de la version anglaise]

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Temp. Cite: [2014] B.C.A.C. TBEd. FE.024

La Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon no. 23 (respondent/plaintiff) v. Procureure générale du Territoire du Yukon (appellant/defendant)

(11-YU684; 2014 YKCA 4)

Indexed As: Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon No. 23 v. Yukon (Procureure générale)

Yukon Court of Appeal

Groberman, Bennett and MacKenzie, JJ.A.

February 11, 2014.

Summary:

A francophone school board commenced proceedings alleging that the Yukon government (1) failed to meet its language rights obligations under s. 23 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; (2) violated the Languages Act; and (3) breached fiduciary duties by re-allocating funds earmarked for minority language education to French as a second language instruction.

The Yukon Supreme Court, in a judgment reported [2011] Yukon Cases Uned. 57, allowed the action. The court held that the government failed to accord the board adequate management and control of French language education as required by s. 23. The government was ordered to change certain practices and to provide resources to change the board's school facility. Further, the government's requirement that communications between it and the board be in English violated the Languages Act, and the government breached its fiduciary duty in handling funds transferred to it by the federal government. The government's application asking the trial judge to recuse himself for a reasonable apprehension of bias had been dismissed. The government appealed on the ground that there was a reasonable apprehension of bias on the part of the trial judge.

The Yukon Court of Appeal allowed the appeal. Certain comments and attitude displayed by the trial judge during the trial raised a reasonable apprehension of bias. Examples included: making an evidentiary ruling against the government without permitting the government to argue the issue; pressuring the government to settle during the trial by effectively threatening that if it did not there would be a "permanent" written decision that would be critical of the government and its employees; making an unsupported accusation that a government witness tried to intentionally deceive the court; refusing to permit a government witness to give evidence by affidavit on medical grounds (speech problems following stroke); awarding the board almost $1.5 million in costs in a "grossly unfair" procedure where the government could not have foreseen the extraordinary costs claim, could not have been expected to address such a claim in its submissions, and was refused permission to reply to the claim; the trial judge unjustifiably admonished government's counsel for making submissions that "lacked conviction and/or sincerity"; the trial judge made frequent and overt displays of derision towards the government's counsel. Although the trial judge's historical political involvement in the minority francophone community in Alberta did not give rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias, his ongoing status as a governor of the Fondation franco-albertaine did. To the extent that the trial judge's fact findings depended upon questions of fact or mixed fact and law, they could not be upheld and a new trial was required before a different judge. The court did find that it could rule on three self-contained issues: (1) the trial judge erred in finding that the board could employ a school principal on a fixed term contract rather than a permanent contract as required by the Education Labour Relations Act; (2) the judge erred in finding that s. 23 of the Charter gave the board a constitutional right to choose whether to admit into its school children of persons who did not hold s. 23 rights; and (3) the judge erred in ordering that all communications between the government and board had to be in French.

Civil Rights - Topic 2703

Language - General principles - Interpretation of language rights legislation - See paragraphs 214 to 244.

Civil Rights - Topic 2884

Language - Education - Minority language education rights - General - See paragraphs 214 to 244.

Civil Rights - Topic 2890

Language - Education - Right of minority to manage and control its schools - See paragraphs 214 to 244.

Courts - Topic 686

Judges - Disqualification - Bias - By trial or applications judge - See paragraphs 75 to 204.

Courts - Topic 688

Judges - Disqualification - Bias - Arising from out of court communications with counsel - See paragraphs 75 to 204.

Courts - Topic 691

Judges - Disqualification - Bias - Reasonable apprehension of bias - See paragraphs 75 to 204.

Courts - Topic 693

Judges - Disqualification - Bias - Evidence - See paragraphs 75 to 204.

Education - Topic 706

Education authorities - School commissions or boards - General - Scope of authority respecting terms of employment of teachers - See paragraphs 205 to 213.

Education - Topic 6156

Teachers (incl. principals and non-teaching professional employees) - Employment - Permanent v. temporary or probationary - See paragraphs 205 to 213.

Cases Noticed:

Mahe, Martel, Dubé and Association d'Ecole Georges et Julia Bugnet v. Alberta, [1990] 1 S.C.R. 342; 105 N.R. 321; 106 A.R. 321, refd to. [para. 22].

Arsenal-Cameron et al. v. Prince Edward Island (2000), 249 N.R. 140; 184 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 44; 559 A.P.R. 44; 2000 SCC 1, refd to. [para. 24].

Dauphinee v. Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial et al. (2007), 257 N.S.R.(2d) 239; 820 A.P.R. 239; 2007 NSSC 238, refd to. [para. 39].

Taylor Ventures Ltd. (Bankrupt) v. Taylor (2005), 214 B.C.A.C. 7; 353 W.A.C. 7; 2005 BCCA 350, refd to. [para. 77].

Wewayakum Indian Band v. Canada and Wewayakai Indian Band, [2003] 2 S.C.R. 259; 309 N.R. 201; 2003 SCC 45, refd to. [para. 77].

R. v. R.D.S., [1997] 3 S.C.R. 484; 218 N.R. 1; 161 N.S.R.(2d) 241; 477 A.P.R. 241, refd to. [para. 81].

Lloyd v. Bush et al. (2012), 292 O.A.C. 251; 2012 ONCA 349, refd to. [para. 111].

Shoppers Mortgage and Loan Corp. v. Health First Wellington Square Ltd. et al. (1995), 80 O.A.C. 346; 23 O.R.(3d) 362 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 153].

Committee for Justice and Liberty v. National Energy Board, [1978] 1 S.C.R. 369; 9 N.R. 115, refd to. [para. 173].

Boardwalk Reit LLP v. Edmonton (City) et al. (2008), 437 A.R. 199; 433 W.A.C. 199; 2008 ABCA 176, refd to. [para. 175].

D.M.M. v. T.B.M., [2010] Yukon Cases Uned. (SC) 68; 2010 YKSC 68, refd to. [para. 175].

Arsenal-Cameron et al. v. Prince Edward Island, [1999] 3 S.C.R. 851; 267 N.R. 386; 201 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 1; 605 A.P.R. 1, refd to. [para. 178].

Pinochet, Re, [2000] 1 A.C. 119; 237 N.R. 225; 1999 UKHL 1, refd to. [para. 195].

Commission Scolaire Francophone et al. v. Territoires du Nord-Ouest (Procureur général) et al., [2012] Northwest Terr. Cases Uned. 44; 2012 NWTSC 44; 2012 CSTN-O 44, refd to. [para. 217].

Société des Acadiens du Nouveau-Brunswick Inc. and Association de conseillers scolaires francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick v. Minority Language School Board No. 50 and Association of Parents for Fairness in Education, Grand Falls District 50 Branch, [1986] 1 S.C.R. 549; 66 N.R. 173; 69 N.B.R.(2d) 271; 177 A.P.R. 271, refd to. [para. 220].

R. v. Beaulac (J.V.), [1999] 1 S.C.R. 768; 238 N.R. 131; 121 B.C.A.C. 227; 198 W.A.C. 227, refd to. [para. 220].

Gosselin v. Quebec (Attorney General), [2005] 1 S.C.R. 238; 331 N.R. 337; 2005 SCC 15, refd to. [para. 222].

Abbey v. Board of Education of Essex County (1999), 117 O.A.C. 358; 42 O.R.(3d) 481 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 223].

Kilrich Industries Ltd. v. Halotier (2007), 246 B.C.A.C. 159; 406 W.A.C. 159; 2007 YKCA 12, refd to. [para. 231].

Barclay v. British Columbia et al. (2006), 231 B.C.A.C. 98; 381 W.A.C. 98; 2006 BCCA 434, refd to. [para. 248].

L'Association des parents de l'école Rose-des-vents et al. v. Conseil Scolaire Francophone de la Colombie-Britannique et al. (2014), 350 B.C.A.C. 142; 598 W.A.C. 142; 2014 BCCA 40, refd to. [para. 248].

William v. British Columbia et al. (2013), 333 B.C.A.C. 85; 571 W.A.C. 85; 2013 BCCA 1, refd to. [para. 248].

Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique et al. v. British Columbia et al. (2013), 447 N.R. 204; 341 B.C.A.C. 1; 582 W.A.C. 1; 2013 SCC 42, refd to. [para. 248].

Statutes Noticed:

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982, sect. 16(1) [paras. 58, 232]; sect. 23 [para. 5].

Education Act, R.S.Y. 2002, c. 61, sect. 56 [para. 7].

Education Act Regulations (Yuk.), French Language Instruction Regulation, Y.O.I.C. 1996/99, sect. 2 [para. 44].

Education Labour Relations Act, R.S.Y. 2002, c. 62, sect. 105 [para. 207]; sect. 106(7), sect. 106(8) [para. 208]; sect. 109 [para. 209].

French Language Instruction Regulation - see Education Act Regulations (Yuk.).

Languages Act, R.S.Y. 2002, c. 62, sect. 1 [paras. 57, 232]; sect. 6(1) [paras. 55, 236]; sect. 9 [para. 243].

Yukon Act, S.C. 2002, c. 7, sect. 27(1) [para. 59].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Canadian Judicial Council, Ethical Principles for Judges (1998), p. 33 [para. 192].

Wilson, J.O., A Book for Judges (Canadian Judicial Council 1980), p. 7 [para. 191].

Counsel:

M. Faille, F. Baril and G. Régimbald, for the appellant;

R.J.F. Lepage and F. Poulin, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard on March 5-7, 2012, at Whitehorse, Yukon, before Groberman, Bennett and MacKenzie, JJ.A., of the Yukon Court of Appeal.

On February 11, 2014, the following judgment was delivered by the Court.