Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières v. Syndicat des employés professionnels de l'Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, (1993) 148 N.R. 209 (SCC)

• Judge: L'Heureux-Dubé, Gonthier and Iacobucci, JJ.
• Court: Supreme Court (Canada)
• Case Date: February 25, 1993
• Jurisdiction: Canada (Federal)
• Citations: (1993), 148 N.R. 209 (SCC);[1993] 1 SCR 471;AZ-93111018;148 NR 209;[1993] ACS no 23;1993 CanLII 162 (SCC);[1993] SCJ No 23 (QL);101 DLR (4th) 494;JE 93-553;53 QAC 171;11 Admin LR (2d) 21

Qué. Univ. v. PEU (1993), 148 N.R. 209 (SCC)

MLB headnote and full text

[French language version follows English language version]

[La version française vient à la suite de la version anglaise]

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Syndicat des employés professionnels de l'Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (appellant) v. Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (respondent) and Alain Larocque, Claude-Elizabeth Perreault and Céline Guilbert (mis-en-cause)

(22146)

Indexed As: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières v. Syndicat des employés professionnels de l'Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

Supreme Court of Canada

Lamer, C.J.C., La Forest,

L'Heureux-Dubé, Gonthier

and Iacobucci, JJ.

February 25, 1993.

Summary:

Two employees working for a university on a government financed project were dismissed because, said the university, the funds ran out. The employees lodged a grievance. The university sought to adduce evidence that the employees' work was bad, hence the hiring of a new employee paid out of the government funds and their more rapid exhaustion. The arbitrator refused to admit this evidence and allowed the griev­ance. The university applied for evocation. The Quebec Superior Court, in an unreported decision, granted the motion and ordered a new arbitration before another arbitrator. The union representing the dismissed employees appealed.

The Quebec Court of Appeal, Rousseau-Houle, J.A., dissenting, in a decision report­ed [1990] R.J.Q. 2183, dismissed the appeal. The union appealed again.

The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the appeal.

Administrative Law - Topic 2145

Natural justice - Administrative decisions or findings - Failure to consider evidence - Two employees working for a university on a government financed project were dismissed because, said the university, the funds ran out - The employees lodged a grievance - The university sought to adduce evidence that the employees' work was bad, hence the hiring of a new employee paid out of the government funds and their more rapid exhaustion - The arbitrator refused to admit this evi­dence and allowed the grievance - The university applied for judicial review - The application was allowed - The Supreme Court of Canada held that an arbitrator's erroneous exclusion of relevant evidence did not necessarily mean breach of natural justice rules and excess of juris­diction but that the arbitrator here com­mitted such breach and excess - See para­graphs 24 to 62.

Droit administratif - Cote 2145

Justice naturelle - Décisions ou conclu­sions administratives - Défaut d'examiner la preuve - [Voir Administrative Law - Topic 2145 ].

Arbitration - Topic 7959

Judicial review - Jurisdiction of arbitrator - Excess of jurisdiction - Two employees working for a university on a government financed project were dismissed because, said the university, the funds ran out - The employees lodged a grievance - The uni­versity sought to adduce evidence that the employees' work was bad, hence the hiring of a new employee paid out of the gov­ernment funds and their more rapid ex­haustion - The arbitrator refused to admit this evidence and allowed the grievance - The university applied for judicial review - The application was allowed - The Supreme Court of Canada held that an arbitrator's erroneous exclusion of relevant evidence did not necessarily mean breach of natural justice rules and excess of juris­diction but that the arbitrator here com­mitted such breach and excess - See para­graphs 24 to 62.

Arbitration - Topic 7959

Judicial review - Jurisdiction of arbitrator - Excess of jurisdiction - The Supreme Court of Canada declared that a grievance arbitrator appointed under the Quebec Labour Code had jurisdiction to define the scope of the issue presented to him and admit only the evidence he considered relevant - The court added that an arbitra­tor's erroneous exclusion of relevant evi­dence did not necessarily mean violation of natural justice rules and excess of juris­diction remedied by judicial review - See paragraphs 24 to 62.

Arbitrage - Cote 7959

Contrôle judiciaire - Juridiction de l'arbitre - Excès de juridiction - [Voir Arbitration - Topic 7959 ].

Arbitration - Topic 8417

Judicial review - Grounds, misconduct - Breach of rules of natural justice - Two employees working for a university on a government financed project were dis­missed because, said the university, the funds ran out - The employees lodged a grievance - The university sought to adduce evidence that the employees' work was bad, hence the hiring of a new employee paid out of the government funds and their more rapid exhaustion - The arbitrator refused to admit this evi­dence and allowed the grievance - The university applied for judicial review - The application was allowed - The Supreme Court of Canada held that an arbitrator's erroneous exclusion of relevant evidence did not necessarily mean breach of natural justice rules and excess of juris­diction but that the arbitrator here com­mitted such breach and excess - See para­graphs 24 to 62.

Arbitration - Topic 8417

Judicial review - Grounds, misconduct - Breach of rules of natural justice - The Supreme Court of Canada declared that a grievance arbitrator appointed under the Quebec Labour Code had jurisdiction to define the scope of the issue presented to him and admit only the evidence he con­sidered relevant - The court added that an arbitrator's erroneous exclusion of relevant evidence did not necessarily mean viola­tion of natural justice rules and excess of jurisdiction remedied by judicial review - See paragraphs 24 to 62.

Arbitrage - Cote 8417

Contrôle judiciaire - Motifs, inconduite - Violation des règles de justice naturelle - [Voir Arbitration - Topic 8417 ].

Arbitration - Topic 8575

Judicial review - Practice - Remittal to different arbitrator - Two employees working for a university on a government financed project were dismissed because, said the university, the funds ran out - The employees lodged a grievance - The uni­versity sought to adduce evidence that the employees' work was bad, hence the hiring of a new employee paid out of the gov­ernment funds and their more rapid ex­haustion - The arbitrator refused to admit this evidence and allowed the grievance - The university applied for judicial review - The application was allowed - The Supreme Court of Canada held that the arbitrator here breached natural justice rules and exceeded his jurisdiction by erroneously excluding the university's evidence - The court affirmed the trial court's order of a new arbitration before another arbitrator - See paragraphs 53 and 54.

Arbitrage - Cote 8575

Contrôle judiciaire - Procédure - Renvoi devant un autre arbitre - [Voir Arbitra­tion - Topic 8575 ].

Cases Noticed:

St. Anne-Nackawic Pulp & Paper Co. Ltd. v. Canadian Paper Workers Union, Local 219, [1986] 1 S.C.R. 704; 68 N.R. 112; 73 N.B.R.(2d) 236; 184 A.P.R. 236; 28 D.L.R.(4th) 1, refd to. [para. 11].

Roberval Express Ltd. v. Transport Drivers, Warehousemen and General Workers Union, Local 106 et al., [1982] 2 S.C.R. 888; [1983] R.D.J. 3; 47 N.R. 34, refd to. [para. 15].

Roberval Express Ltée c. Union des chauffeurs et hommes d'entrepôts et autres ouvriers, Local 106 - see Roberval Express Ltd. v. Transport Drivers, Warehousemen and General Workers Union, Local 106 et al.

Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 963 v. New Brunswick Liquor Corp., [1979] 2 S.C.R. 227; 26 N.R. 341; 25 N.B.R.(2d) 237; 51 A.P.R. 237; 97 D.L.R.(3d) 417; 79 C.L.L.C. 14,209, refd to. [para. 30].

Syndicat canadien de la Fonction publique, section locale 963 c. Société des alcools du Nouveau-Brunswick - see Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 963 v. New Brunswick Liquor Corp.

Syndicat national des employés de la Commission scolaire régionale de l'Outaouais (C.S.N.) v. Union des em­ployés de service, local 298 (F.T.Q.) et al., [1988] 2 S.C.R. 1048; 95 N.R. 161; 24 Q.A.C 244, consd. [para. 30].

Bibeault - see Syndicat national des em­ployés de la Commission scolaire régio­nale de l'Outaouais (C.S.N.) v. Union des employés de service, local 298 (F.T.Q.) et al.

Union des employés de services, local 298 (F.T.Q.) c. Bibeault - see Syndicat na­tional des employés de la Commission scolaire régionale de l'Outaouais (C.S.N.) v. Union des employés de service, local 298 (F.T.Q.) et al.

Toronto Newspaper Guild, Local 87 v. Globe Printing Co., [1953] 2 S.C.R. 18, refd to. [para. 32].

National Corn Growers Association v. Canadian Import Tribunal, [1990] 2 S.C.R. 1324; 114 N.R. 81; 74 D.L.R.(4th) 449, consd. [para. 33].

Cardinal and Oswald v. Kent Institution, [1985] 2 S.C.R. 643; 63 N.R. 353; 24 D.L.R.(4th) 44, consd. [para. 51].

Canada (Attorney General) v. Mossop (1993), 149 N.R. 1 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 57].

Service Employees' International Union, Local 333 v. Nipawin District Staff Nurses' Association et al., [1975] 1 S.C.R. 382; 41 D.L.R.(3d) 6, consd. [para. 58].

Statutes Noticed:

Labour Code/Code du travail, R.S.Q. 1977, c. C-27, sect. 100.2 [para. 9].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Evans, J.M. et al., Administrative Law (3rd Ed. 1989), p. 452 [para. 39].

Garant, Patrice, Droit administratif, 3 e éd., 1991, vol. 2, p. 231 [para. 45].

Ouellette, Y., Aspects de la procédure et de la preuve devant les tribunaux ad­ministratifs (1986), 16 R.D.U.S. 819, p. 850 [paras. 39, 41].

Counsel:

Pierre Thériault, for the appellant;

Marc St-Pierre and Louis Masson, for the respondent.

Solicitors of Record:

Lapierre, St-Denis & Assoc., Montreal, Que., for the appellant;

Joli-Coeur, Lacasse & Assoc., Trois-Rivières, Que., for the respondent.

This appeal was heard on November 30, 1992, by Lamer, C.J.C., La Forest, L'Heu­reux-Dubé, Gonthier and Iacobucci, JJ., of the Supreme Court of Canada.

The judgment of the Supreme Court was delivered in both official languages on Feb­ruary 25, 1993, and the following opinions were filed:

Lamer, C.J.C. (La Forest, Gonthier and Iacobucci, JJ., concurring) - see para­graphs 1 to 55;

L'Heureux-Dubé, J. - see paragraphs 56 to 62.