S.F. v. S.B., (1996) 160 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 256 (NFPC)

• Judge: LeBlanc, P.C.J.
• Case Date: September 27, 1996
• Jurisdiction: Newfoundland and Labrador
• Citations: (1996), 160 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 256 (NFPC)

S.F. v. S.B. (1996), 160 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 256 (NFPC);

    494 A.P.R. 256

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [1998] Nfld. & P.E.I.R. TBEd. MR.014

S.F. (applicant) v. S.B. (respondent) and Attorney General for Newfoundland (intervenor)

(95-094)

Indexed As: S.F. v. S.B.

Newfoundland Provincial Court

Family Division

District of Corner Brook

LeBlanc, P.C.J.

September 27, 1996.

Summary:

S.F. applied under the Family Law Act to vary a 1985 affiliation order made under the Children of Unmarried Parents Act, s. 21(4). That order required S.B. to pay $5,000 in full satisfaction of any claims arising under the Act.

The Newfoundland Provincial Court, Fam­ily Division, in a decision reported 137 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 135; 428 A.P.R. 135, held that it lacked jurisdiction to vary the order. S.F. then applied for a declaration that s. 21(4) violated equality rights under s. 15 of the Charter.

The Newfoundland Provincial Court, Fam­ily Division, allowed the application. The court held that s. 21(4) violated s. 15 and the discrimination was not justified under s. 1 of the Charter. As a remedy, the court granted the child standing to bring an application to vary the existing support order under s. 47 of the Family Law Act.

Civil Rights - Topic 5666.1

Equality and protection of the law - Par­ticular cases - Child or spousal support legislation - The Children of Unmarried Parents Act, s. 21(4), precluded an appli­cation to vary lump sum child support for an "illegitimate" child - A mother of an "illegitimate" child applied for a declar­ation that s. 21(4) violated s. 15 of the Charter (equality rights) - She argued that if her child were "legitimate", the court would have jurisdiction to hear a variation application under the Family Law Act - The Newfoundland Provincial Court, Fam­ily Division, held that "illegitimate" children were a discrete and insular minority and entitled to Charter protection under s. 15 - Section 21(4) created a dis­tinction between "legitimate" and "il­legit­imate" children which was discrimina­tory and not justifiable under s. 1 of the Charter - As a remedy, the court granted the child standing to bring an application to vary the existing support order under s. 47 of the Family Law Act.

Civil Rights - Topic 8348

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms - Application - Exceptions - Reasonable limits pre­scribed by law (Charter, s. 1) - [See Civil Rights - Topic 5666.1 ].

Civil Rights - Topic 8380.25

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms - Denial of rights - Declaration of rights - [See Civil Rights - Topic 5666.1 ].

Civil Rights - Topic 8668

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms - Equality rights - What constitutes a breach of s. 15 - [See Civil Rights - Topic 5666.1 ].

Civil Rights - Topic 8672

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms - Equality rights - Analogous categories - [See Civil Rights - Topic 5666.1 ].

Infants - Topic 2566

Parentage of children - Support and other claims - Award - Variation - [See Civil Rights - Topic 5666.1 ].

Cases Noticed:

Andrews v. Law Society of British Col­um­bia, [1989] 1 S.C.R. 143; 91 N.R. 255; 56 D.L.R.(4th) 1, refd to. [para. 5].

R. v. Swain, [1991] 1 S.C.R. 933; 125 N.R. 1; 47 O.A.C. 81; 63 C.C.C.(3d) 481; 5 C.R.(4th) 253, refd to. [para. 14].

Miron and Valliere v. Trudel et al., [1995] 2 S.C.R. 418; 181 N.R. 253; 81 O.A.C. 253; 124 D.L.R.(4th) 693; 13 R.F.L.(4th) 1, refd to. [para. 16].

Egan and Nesbit v. Canada, [1995] 2 S.C.R. 513; 182 N.R. 161; 12 R.F.L.(4th) 201; 124 D.L.R.(4th) 609, refd to. [para. 16].

Thibaudeau v. Minister of National Rev­enue, [1995] 2 S.C.R. 627; 182 N.R. 1; 124 D.L.R.(4th) 449; 12 R.F.L.(4th) 1, refd to. [para. 16].

R. v. Turpin, Siddiqui and Clauzel, [1989] 1 S.C.R. 1296; 96 N.R. 115; 34 O.A.C. 115; 48 C.C.C.(3d) 8; 69 C.R.(3d) 97; 39 C.R.R. 306, refd to. [para. 18].

McKinney v. University of Guelph et al., [1990] 3 S.C.R. 229; 118 N.R. 1; 45 O.A.C. 1; 76 D.L.R.(4th) 545; 2 C.R.R.(2d) 1, refd to. [para. 19].

Tétreault-Gadoury v. Canada Employment and Immigration Commission, [1991] 2 S.C.R. 22; 126 N.R. 1; 81 D.L.R.(4th) 358, refd to. [para. 19].

D.S.W. v. R.H., [1989] 2 W.W.R. 481; 71 Sask.R. 66 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 21].

R.H.M. v. S.S.H. (1994), 150 A.R. 67; 2 R.F.L.(4th) 207 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 23].

L.M.S.M. and M.T.S.M. v. D.S. et al., [1990] 5 W.W.R. 650; 107 A.R. 152 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 24].

C.E.P. v. G.V. (1993), 108 Sask.R. 183; 101 D.L.R.(4th) 726 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 25].

Pelech v. Pelech, [1987] 1 S.C.R. 801; 76 N.R. 81; [1987] 4 W.W.R. 481; 7 R.F.L.(3d) 225; 14 B.C.L.R.(2d) 145; 38 D.L.R.(4th) 641; 17 C.P.C.(2d) 1, refd to. [para. 29].

Richardson v. Richardson, [1987] 1 S.C.R. 857; 77 N.R. 1; 22 O.A.C. 1; 7 R.F.L.(3d) 304; 38 D.L.R.(4th) 699; 17 C.P.C.(2d) 104, refd to. [para. 29].

Hauschildt v. Hauschildt (1993), 103 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 188; 326 A.P.R. 188 (Nfld. U.F.C.), refd to. [para. 29].

R. v. Oakes, [1986] 1 S.C.R. 103; 65 N.R. 87; 14 O.A.C. 335; 26 D.L.R.(4th) 200; 50 C.R.(3d) 1; 24 C.C.C.(3d) 321; 19 C.R.R. 308, refd to. [para. 37].

Stoffman et al. v. Vancouver General Hos­pital et al, [1990] 3 S.C.R. 483; 118 N.R. 241, refd to. [para. 38].

Statutes Noticed:

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982, sect. 1 [para. 36]; sect. 15(1) [para. 12]; sect. 24(1) [para. 40].

Constitution Act, 1982, sect. 52(1) [para. 40].

Children of Unmarried Parents Act, S.N. 1972, c. 33, sect. 21(4) [para. 11].

Counsel:

Kier O'Flaherty, for the applicant;

Gerard Martin, Q.C., for the respondent;

Karen Stone, for the intervenor.

This application was heard before LeBlanc, P.C.J., of the Newfoundland Provincial Court, Family Divison, District of Corner Brook, who delivered the following judg­ment on September 27, 1996.