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

• Author: Sonia Lawrence
• Pages: 547-563



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 Columbiain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