Supreme Court of Canada releases decision in Wal-Mart store closure cases

The Supreme Court of Canada released their decisions on in the cases of Johanne Desbiens, et al. v. Wal-Mart Canada Corporation and Gaétan Plourde v. Wal-Mart Canada Corporation. The decisions were released on Friday, November 27, 2009. To read the decision in the Desbiens appeal, click here. To read the decision in the Gaétan Plourde appeal, click here.

CCLA intervened in the case to argue that the protection afforded to freedom of association must inform the court’s reading of the Quebec Labour Code. Wal-Mart had closed its store in Jonquière, Quebec, allegedly in response to the union-forming activities of the employees at that location. In the context of closing of a single location within a large North American network of stores, a store closing which is motivated by a broader anti-union agenda can have a substantial chilling effect on the exercise of the freedom of association by individuals in workplaces across the country.