From Master and Servant to Bardal and Beyond: 200 years of Employment Law in Ontario, 1807 to 2007

• Author: Mr. Justice Randall Scott Echlin
• Pages: 1-44



FromMasterandServant

to BardalandBeyond

yearsofEmploymentLawin

Ontarioto

TheHonourableMrJusticeRandallScoEchlin

Superior Court of Justice*

“Employmentisnaturesphysicianandisessentialtohumanhappiness”

ClaudiusGalenGreekphysicianandmed icalwriterAD

A. INTRODUCTION

Workis oneof the most fundamental aspects in a personslife pro-

viding the individual with amea nsof nanc ials upportand as im-

portantlyacontr ibutoryrolein societyApers onsemploymentisan

essentialcomponentofhisorhersenseofidentityselfworthandemo-

tionalwellbeing

ChiefJusticeDicksonoftheSupremeCourtofCanadaacknowledgedthe

centrali mportanceof workin peopleslives int hisoquoted passage

fromadecisionOverthepasttwentyyearstheSupremeCourthas

increasinglytakenstepstoprotectthelegalpositionofworkersintheem-

ploymentrelationshipJusticeIacobucciinparticulartookupthecause

inordertopromotedecencyandhuman ityintheworkplaceespecially

∗ JusticeRandallS coEchlinwasappoi ntedtotheOntarioSuper iorCourtofJustice

inAprilJusticeEch linexpressesh issincereappreciat ionandgratitudeto

Christi neDobbyLawClerkSuperiorCourtofJusticeforherenthus iasticinsight-

fulandmostcapableass istanceinthepre parationofthispaper

 ChiefJusticeDick sonwritingi ndissentinRefere nceRePublicServiceEmployeeRel a-

tions Act (Alta.)SCRat

HRSE

inrespectoftheterminationoftherelationshipHoweverworkerswere

notalwaysaccordedeventhisbasiclevelofprotectionTheemployment

relationshipinearlythcenturyOntariowasquitedierentfromwhat

itistodayThecharacteroftherelationshipwasforgedlongbeforeeven

thattime duetothein uenceofthelawsof EnglandonOntar ioslegal

frameworkTheBlackDeathinthethcenturyspurredtherstlabour

legislationinEnglandInresponsetoseverelabourshortagesTheOrdin-

ance of Labourers andThe Statute of Labourers were proclaimed in

andrespectivelyandformedthebasisoft hemasterandservant

relationshipThegoalofthelegislationwhichgreatlyfavouredemploy-

erswas toensu rea stableand cheapsupply oflabour ata timewhen

workersmightother wisehave beenable todemandhigherwagesa nd

beerworkingconditionsBythethcentur ymasterandservantstat-

uteswereinuencingthelawinOntarioFacedwithanewsetoflabour

problemsthatagainincludedlabourshortagesmagistratesintheyoung

colonydustedotheoldstatutesandsetthemtowork

This papert racest hedevelopment ofemployment lawi nOnta rio

fromthat time untilt hepresentThe primary lenst hroughwhich the

 See Machtinger infra noteWallace inf ra noteandMcKinleyinfra note

 EdwIII

 EdwIII

 Thereissomeconf usionastothecorre ctcitationofthetwost atuteswhichare

sometimescollec tivelyreferredtoasT he Statute of LabourersFurthermorethe

statuteissometi mesreferredtoasTh e Statute of Labourers ratherthantheO rdinance

of Labourers

 Thispaperrelie sagreatdealontheexcellentr esearchofothersForexa mplePaul

CravenandJeremyWebberhaveconductedextensivestudiesoftheemployment

relationshipinthce nturyOntar ioSeePaulCravenTheLawofMasterand

ServantinMidNine teenthCenturyO ntarioinDavidHFlahe rtyedEssaysin

the History of Canadian LawVolTorontoUniversityofTorontoPressforThe

OsgoodeSocietyCravenMasterandServant andJeremyWebber

LabourandtheLawi nPaulCravenedLabouringLivesWorkandWorkersinNine-

teenth CenturyO ntarioTorontoUniversityofTorontoPressCraven

Labouring LivesInterestinglytheSpecialLecturesbe ganwithanexcellentpaper

bySydneyLRobinsQCentitledHistoricalTreatmentoftheEmployerEmployee

RelationshipseeLawSociet yofUpperCanadaSpecialLecturesonEmploymentLaw

TorontoRDeBooInadditiontothishistoricalre searchGavinHume

QCandDavidWonghaveproducedaveryhelpfulstudyontheaermathofthe

Wallacedec isionWallaceDamagesWhatCon stitutesBadFaithinToddAr-

chibaldRanda llScoEchlin edsAnnualReviewofCivilLitigationToronto

CarswellAlsoonthei ssueofdamagesinthepo stWallace eraseeMichae l

PFitzgibbonPhilippeCVachonOtheBeatenPathDamagesinEmployment

LawHowtoStayontheTrailCanadianBarAs sociationNationalAdm inistra-

tiveLawLabourandEmploymentLawConferenceNovemberInterms

FromMasterandServanttoBardalandBeyond

ofgeneraltextsonCa nadianemploymentlawDavidHarriswasthepion eerinthe

eldrstpublishingh istextWrongful DismissalTorontoRDeBooin

atatimewhentherewasadearthofwr itingonthesubjectSincet hattimethere

hasbeenagreatex pansioninwriti ngonemploymentlawOtherimportantand

usefultextsi ncludeStaceyReginaldBal lCanadianEmploymentLawlooselea fAu-

roraONCanadaLawBookInnisChristieQCwithGeoreyEngland

BrentCoerEmploymentLawinCanadaded TorontoBuerworthsMark

VincentEllisFiduciar yDutiesinCanadalooseleaf  DonMillsONRDeBoo

JereyGoodmanA llisonTaylorAGuidetoAlternativeWorkRelationshipsAurora

ONCanadaLawBook MNormanGrosmanAPracticalGuidetotheLawof

HiringinOntarioAuroraONAuroraProfessionalPressBarbaraGHum-

ph re y HumanResourcesGuidetotheDutytoAccommod ateAuroraONCanadaLaw

BookJamesGKnightLisaSGood fellowCarmanJOverholtEmploy-

ment Litigation Manuallooseleaf Mark hamONLexisNexisBuerworths

BarryKuretz kyJenniferMacKen zieMediatingEmploymentDisputesAuroraON

CanadaLawBookandHumanResourcesGuidetoManagingWorkpla ceHarass-

ment AuroraONCanadaLawBook HowardALeviThe Law of Dis missal

In CanadalooseleafAuroraONCanadaLawBookMalcolmJMacKillop

JamesGKnightKerr yWilliamsDamageControlAnEmplo yersGuidetoJust

Cause for TerminationdedAuroraONCanadaLawBookMelanieMan-

ningPregnancytheWorkplaceandtheLawAuroraONCanadaLawBook

AdrianMiedemaBradRafau liHRManagersGuidetoNonCompet itionandNon

Solicitation Agreements TorontoCarswell EllenEMoleMarionJStendon

The Wrongful Dismiss al HandbookdedMarkhamONLexisNexisBuer worths

  JaniceRubinAPractic alGuidetotheLawofTerminationinOntarioAurora

ONAuroraProfessionalPressJaniceRubinChris tineThomli nsonHuman

ResourcesGuidetoWorkplaceInvestigationsAuroraONCanadaLawBo ok

andJohnRSproatEmploymentLawManualWrongfulDi smissalHumanRightsand

EmploymentStandardslooseleafTorontoThomso nCarswellBrianAGros-

manhaswrienseveralsign icanttextsonvariousspeci csubtopicsrelatingto

Canadianemploymentlawi ncludingCorporateLo yaltyATrustBetrayedMarkham

ONPenguinBooksCanadawithJohnRMar tinDiscriminati oninEmploy-

mentinOntarioAuroraONCanadaLawBookandEmploymentLawin

OntarioAGuideforEmployersandEmplo yeesAuroraONCanadaLawBook

TheExecutiveFiringLineWrongfulDismis salandtheLawAgincourtONCarswel l

MethuenFirePowerThePositiveApproachtotheDilemmaFacedb yEveryEm-

ployerandEmployeeMark hamONPenguinBookswithAllanRez nikFire

ProongProtectingYourJobinthesTorontoKeyPorterBooksandPink Slip

Chronicles TorontoFirePowerPressInadditionthisauthorha shadthedis-

tinctprivilegeofcollab oratingwithMahewCertosimoJenn iferFantiniMalcolm

JMacKillopandChristi neMThomlinsononthefollowi ngbooksCertosimo

Just Cause: The Law of Summary Di smissal in Canadalooseleaf AuroraONCanada

LawBookFantiniQuiingforGoodReasonTheLawofConstr uctiveDismissal

in Canada AuroraONCanadaLawBookMacKillopCreative Solutions:

PerspectivesonCanadianEmploym entLawdedAuroraONAuroraProfessional

PressandThomli nsonForBeerorForWorseAPracticalGuidetoC anadian

EmploymentLawded AuroraONAuroraProfessionalPress