'The Admittedly Unattainable Ideal': Adverse Impact and Race under Section 15

AuthorSonia Lawrence
Pages547-563

TheAdmiedlyUnaainableIdeal
ADVERSEIMPACTANDRACE
UNDERSECTION
Sonia Lawrence*
Istartthispaperwiththepropositionthatweliveinasocietythatis
deeplyshapedbyracismandthecolonialprojectTheseprocesseshave
notonlyleftFirstNationssovereigntyandterritoriesunrecognizedbut
haveracializedIndigenouspeoplesandrenderedthemsubjecttoracial
formsofdiscriminationFromthelegalenslavementofAfricanpeoples
totheChineseheadtaxandfarbeyondtheseexamplesourhistoryre
vealsthatweareasocietybuiltonracistideologiesContemporaryracism
operatesonaeldmarkeddeeplybythelinesdrawnandburdensappor
tionedinthenottoodistantpastSchoolstreamingchildwelfarethe
criminaljusticesystemfrompolicingtoincarcerationaccesstohealth
careandhighereducationallbearthemarkofthepastdespitethelack
ofexplicitlinedrawingbasedonraceInlegislationatleastcontem
poraryracismtendstoconcealitselfinneutrallanguagebehindbland
formulations
Andrews v Law Society of Br itish ColumbiaSCRatAndrews
 AssociateProfessorOsgoodeHallLawSchoolAllofmythinkingaboutsection
hasbeendevelopedinthecontextofasupportiveandgenerousgroupofscholars
whohavealsobeenmymentorsstudentsandcolleaguesIamgratefultoallof
thembutIwillnameherefourinparticularJenniferKoshanandJonneeWatson
HamiltonwhoseworksareextensivelycitedFayFaradayfordiscussionsvery
earlyinmycareeraboutlitigatingsectioncasesandDebraParkesforinter alia
sharingmyenthusiasmaboutSauvéIconsultednoneofthesepeopleaboutthis
paperallerrorsaremyresponsibility
SL
Thecamouagetechniquesofmodernracismarenothoweverout
sideofthepurviewofconstitutionalequalityprotectionsThesubstan
tiveratherthanformalcommitmentsthathavebeenapartofsection
doctrine since Andrews v Law Society of British Columbiainoered
therstSupremeCourtinterpretationoftheprovision
discriminationmaybedescribedasadistinctionwhetherintentional
ornotbutbasedongroundsrelatingtopersonalcharacteristicsofthe
individualorgroupwhichhastheeectofimposingburdensobliga
tionsordisadvantagesonsuchindividualorgroupnotimposedupon
othersorwhichwithholdsorlimitsaccesstoopportunitiesbenets
andadvantagesavailabletoothermembersofsociety
Thishasmeantasmostreaderswillknowthatlawscandiscrimin
ateintheirpurposewhereontheirfacetheydrawdiscriminatorydis
tinctionsonanalogousorenumeratedgroundsortheycandiscriminate
intheireectswhereforinstancetheyapplytoeveryoneequallybut
haveanegativeimpactoncertainanalogousorenumeratedgroupsbe
causeofpreexistingdisadvantageorwhethertheycategorizeonthe
basisofapparentlyneutralcharacteristicsbuthavedisproportionatead
verseeectsoncertainanalogousorenumeratedgroups
This paper addresses the curious lack of racial discrimination
claimsundersectionoftheCharterInmyviewthesemissingclaims
aremostobviouslyframedasadverseimpactclaimsThisexploration
beginsbybrieyraisingsomepossibilitiesastowhywehavenotseen
theseclaimsinthecourtsbeginningwithaccesstojusticeissuesthen
turningtodataInthenextsectionIdescribeinsomedetailtheSu
premeCourtsdevelopmentofthedoctrineofadverseimpactinrelation
totheCourtstreatmentofraceclaimsatsectionFinallyIoersome
briefdiscussionofthepotentialimplicationsoftwoshiftsinthecontext
whichsuggestthisareaisonetowatch
 Andrewsabovenote
 ThereareotherroutestosectionraceclaimsasscholarsincludingKentRoach
DavidTanovichandReemBahdihavedescribedIamfocusedontheadverse
impactissueSeealsoGraceEdwardGalabuziTheRacializationofPovertyin
CanadaImplicationsforSectionCharterProtectionPaperdeliveredattheNa
tionalAntiRacismCouncilofCanadaNationalConferenceOawaCanada
November
 InthispaperIfocusalmostentirelyonSupremeCourtcasesanadmiedlycon
testablemethod

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