St-Hilaire v. Canada (Procureur général) et al., 2001 FCA 63

• Judge: Desjardins, Décary and Létourneau, JJ.A.
• Court: Federal Court of Appeal (Canada)
• Case Date: March 19, 2001
• Jurisdiction: Canada (Federal)
• Citations: 2001 FCA 63;(2001), 277 N.R. 201 (FCA);204 DLR (4th) 103;277 NR 201;AZ-50133345;[2001] FCJ No 444 (QL);14 CCEL (3d) 187;212 FTR 319

St-Hilaire v. Can. (P.g.) (2001), 277 N.R. 201 (FCA)

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[French language version follows English language version]

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Temp. Cite: [2001] N.R. TBEd. AP.051

Procureur général du Canada et Conseil du trésor du Canada (intimés/appelants) c. Constance St-Hilaire (requérante/intimée)

(A-335-99; 2001 FCA 63)

Indexed As: St-Hilaire v. Canada (Procureur général) et al.

Federal Court of Appeal

Desjardins, Décary and Létourneau, JJ.A.

March 19, 2001.

Summary:

St-Hilaire pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter in relation to the death of her husband, a federal civil servant. She claimed benefits under the Public Service Superan­nuation Act as a surviving spouse and heir to her husband. Her claim was denied. She asked the Treasury Board to undertake a reconciliation. The Treasury Board refused. St-Hilaire applied for judicial review. She sought a declaration that the Treasury Board's refusal was illegal and an order directing the Attorney General of Canada, acting through the Treasury Board, to pay the sums of money owed to her. St-Hilaire also sought provisional execution notwith­standing appeal.

The Federal Court of Canada, Trial Divi­sion, in a decision reported 167 F.T.R. 46, allowed the application. The Attorney Gen­eral and the Treasury Board appealed.

The Federal Court of Appeal, Décary, J.A., dissenting in part, allowed the appeal.

Courts - Topic 4040

Federal Court of Canada - Jurisdiction - Trial Division - Choice of law - [See Quebec Liberalities - Topic 1630 ].

Government Programs - Topic 3830

Pensions for government employees - Entitlement - Surviving spouse - [See Quebec Liberalities - Topic 1630 ].

Government Programs - Topic 3831

Pensions for government employees - Entitlement - Heir - [See Quebec Liber­alities - Topic 1630 ].

Quebec Liberalities - Topic 1630

Successions - Qualities for succession - Persons unworthy of inheriting - Article 620(1) of the Civil Code of Québec pro­vided that "a person convicted of making an attempt on the life of the deceased" was "unworthy of inheriting" - St-Hilaire pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter in relation to the death of her husband, a federal civil servant - She had stabbed him during a "violent domestic quarrel" - St-Hilaire claimed benefits under the Public Service Superannuation Act (Can.) as a surviving spouse and heir to her hus­band - The Federal Court of Appeal disal­lowed the claim - Firstly, Quebec Civil Law applied respecting St-Hilaire's claim because eligibility to benefits was a ques­tion of civil rights that gave rise to the application of provincial law where, as here, the federal law was silent - Second­ly, St-Hilaire consciously and deliberately made an attempt on the life of her husband within the meaning of art. 620(1) where she had wanted, if not to kill her husband, to at least cause serious bodily harm to him likely to cause his death - She was unworthy of inheriting as of right.

Cases Noticed:

Gray et al. v. Barr, [1971] 2 All E.R. 949, consd. [para. 18].

R. v. National Insurance Commissioner; Ex parte Connor, [1981] 1 All E.R. 769 (Q.B.), consd. [paras. 19, 158].

Foncière Compagnie d'assurance de France, La v. Perras, [1943] S.C.R. 165, consd. [para. 58].

Millar Estate, Re, [1938] S.C.R. 1, consd. [para. 58].

Shaw v. Gillan (1982), 40 O.R.(2d) 146 (H.C.), refd to. [para. 59].

Goulet v. Cie d'assurance-vie Trans-america Canada, [2000] J.Q. No. 1308 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 59].

Brissette Estate v. Westbury Life Insurance Co., [1992] 3 S.C.R. 87; 142 N.R. 104; 58 O.A.C. 10, consd. [paras. 59, 153].

65302 British Columbia Ltd. v. Minister of National Revenue, [1999] 3 S.C.R. 804; 248 N.R. 216, consd. [paras. 60, 163].

Laurentide Motels Ltd. et al. v. Beauport (Ville) et al., [1989] 1 S.C.R. 705; 94 N.R. 1; 23 Q.A.C. 1, consd. [para. 64].

2747-3174 Québec Inc. v. Régie des permis d'alcool du Québec et autres, [1996] 3 S.C.R. 919; 205 N.R. 1, consd. [para. 64].

Miida Electronics Inc. v. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. and ITO-International Ter­minal Operators Ltd., [1986] 1 S.C.R. 752; 68 N.R. 241, consd. [para. 70].

Exchange Bank of Canada v. R. (1886), 11 App. Cas. 157 (P.C.), refd to. [para. 72].

Citizens Insurance Co. of Canada v. Par­sons (1882), 7 App. Cas. 96 (P.C.), consd. [para. 73].

Ministre du Revenu national v. Construc­tion Bérou Inc. (1999), 251 N.R. 115 (F.C.A.), refd to. [para. 75].

Biderman v. Minister of National Revenue (2000), 253 N.R. 236 (F.C.A.), refd to. [para. 75].

Bisaillon v. Keable et al., [1983] 2 S.C.R. 60; 51 N.R. 81, refd to. [para. 83].

Châteauneuf c. T.S.C.O. of Canada Ltd. et autres, [1995] R.J.Q. 637; 68 Q.A.C. 1 (C.A.), consd. [para. 85].

Ménard and Ouellette v. Canada, [1992] 3 F.C. 521; 146 N.R. 92 (F.C.A.), refd to. [para. 85].

R. v. Central Railway Signal Co., [1933] S.C.R. 555, consd. [para. 89].

Couture-Lauzon v. Industrielle Alliance Cie d'assurance sur la vie, [1993] R.R.A. 406 (Que. Ct. Civ. Div.), refd to. [para. 106].

Galarneau v. Beaupré, J.E. 81-1085 (Que. Sup. Ct.), consd. [para. 107].

Héritiers de feu Michel Préjean v. Legault-Préjean, J.E. 83-96 (Que. Sup. Ct.), refd to. [para. 107].

Cleaver v. Mutual Reserve Fund Life Association, [1892] 1 Q.B. 147 (C.A.), consd. [para. 149].

Lundy v. Lundy (1895), 24 S.C.R. 650, consd. [para. 151].

Nordstrom v. Baumann, [1962] S.C.R. 147, consd. [para. 152].

Municipal Employees' Retirement Board (Ont.) v. Young (1985), 15 D.L.R.(4th) 475 (Ont. H.C.), consd. [para. 157].

Statutes Noticed:

Civil Code of Lower Canada, art. 610, art. 611 [para. 1]; art. 893 [para. 103].

Civil Code of Québec, L.Q. 1991, c. 64, art. 6, art. 7 [para. 100]; art. 620, art. 621, art. 622, art. 623 [para. 1]; art. 1411, art. 1413 [para. 100]; art. 1836, art. 1837 [para. 99]; art. 2379 [para. 135]; art. 2443 [para. 99]; art. 2453 [para. 136].

Public Service Superannuation Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. P-36, sect. 12(9), sect. 13(3) [para. 51]; sect. 25(8) [para. 146]; sect. 27(2) [para. 52]; sect. 42(1)(mm) [para. 61].

Public Service Superannuation Act Regu­lations (Can.), Public Service Superannu­ation Regulations, C.R.C. 1978, c. 1358, sect. 41 [para. 62].

Quebec Act, 1774, R.S.C. 1985, App. II, No. 2, art. VIII [para. 65].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Baudouin, Louis, Le droit civil de la province de Québec (1953), p. 1093 et seq. [para. 112].

Beaulne, Jacques, Reform of the Civil Code (1993), t. 1, pp. 251, 252 [para. 104].

Bonenfant, Jean-Charles, Droit canadien des compagnies, 70 R. du N., No. 5, pp. 253, 254 [para. 26].

Brière, Germain, Le nouveau droit des successions (1997), p. 53 [para. 108].

Brière, Germain, Les successions ab intes­tat (1979), p. 23 et seq. [para. 113].

Brisson, Jean-Maurice, and Morel, André, Droit fédéral et droit civil: complémen­tarité, dissociation (1996), 75 Can. Bar Rev. 297, generally [para. 64]; pp. 309 [para. 86]; 334 [para. 98].

Brisson, Jean-Maurice, L'impact du Code civil du Québec sur le droit fédéral: une problématique (1992), 52 Can. Bar Rev. 345, pp. 352, 353 [para. 64].

Canada, Department of Justice, La Cou­ronne en droit canadien (1992), p. 148 [para. 72].

Canada, Department of Justice, The Har­monization of Federal Legislation with Quebec Civil Law and Canadian Bij­uralism (1997), generally [paras. 64, 76].

Canada, Parliamentary Research Branch, Comments on Bill C-50, pp. 4, 5 [para. 91].

Caron, Yves, Correspondance, 70 R. du N., No. 7, p. 372 [para. 26].

Faribault, Léon, Traité de droit civil du Québec (1954), t. 4, pp. 161, 162 et seq. [paras. 14, 113].

Garant, Patrice, Droit administratif (4th Ed. 1996), pp. 7, 8 [para. 80].

Langelier, François, Cours de droit civil (1906), t. 2, p. 362 [para. 112].

MacDonald and Scott, Harmonizing the Concepts and Vocabulary of Federal and Provincial Law - The Unique Situation of Quebec Civil Law (1997), pp. 43, 44 [para. 88].

Malaurie, Philippe, Cours de droit civil, Les successions, Les libéralités (4th Ed. 1998), para. 57 [para. 125].

Mayrand, Albert, Les successions ab intes­tat, Traité élémentaire de droit civil (1971), pp. 65 [para. 116]; 66 [para. 113].

Mignault, Pierre-Basile, Le droit civil canadien (1897), t. 3, pp. 279 [para. 116]; 282 [para. 112].

Morel, André, Harmonization of Federal Legislation with the Civil Code of Qué­bec: Why and Wherefore, pp. 6 to 10 [para. 87, English version]; 9, 10, 11 [para. 87, French version]; 15 [para. 76, English version]; 17 [para. 76, French version].

Quebec, Minister of Justice, Commentaries of the Minister of Justice, Le Code civil du Québec (1993), t. 3, pp. 366 [para. 102]; 367 [paras. 33, 35, 102].

Robilliard, St. John, Public Policy and the Widow (1981), 44 Modern Law Rev. 718, pp. 773, 774 [para. 160].

Terré, François, and Lequette, Yves, Droit civil - Les successions, Les libéralités (3rd Ed. 1997), p. 45, para. 85 [para. 128].

Torrow, Norman M., Unworthy Liens: the application of the public policy rule in the administration of estates (1980), 58 Can. Bar Rev. 582, generally [para. 155].

Counsel:

Guy A. Blouin, for the appellants;

Suzie Guylaine Gagnon, for the respon­dent.

Solicitors of Record:

Morris Rosenberg, Deputy Attorney Gen­eral of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, for the appellants;

Rochon, Belzile, Carrier, Auger & Asso­ciés, Quebec, Quebec, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard at Québec, Quebec, on January 31, 2001, by Létourneau, Desjar­dins and Décary, JJ.A, of the Federal Court of Appeal.

The decision of the Court of Appeal was delivered at Ottawa, Ontario, on March 19, 2001, and the following reasons were filed:

Létourneau, J.A. - see paragraphs 1 to 25;

Desjardins, J.A. - see paragraphs 26 to 39;

Décary, J.A., dissenting in part - see paragraphs 40 to 165.