Bill 124 confirmed unconstitutional by the Ontario Court of Appeal as regards unionized employees

Cette Protecting a Sustainable Public Service for Future Generations Act, 2019 (Bill 124) limited wage increases for most employees of a large range of public sector employers during a period of 3 years. In its decision released on February 12, 2024, the Ontario Court of Appeal found that Bill 124 infringed unionized employees’ collective bargaining protections in a way that was not saved by section 1 of the Charte. On the same day, the government confirmed that it would not appeal this decision and that Bill 124 would be repealed in its entirety.

The CCLA’s submissions as intervenor before the Court of Appeal focused on the appropriate approach to determining whether a law is justified under s. 1 of the Charte. We are pleased that our arguments proved useful to the Court of Appeal in finding that the government’s infringement under section 2(d) of the Charte was not justified in a free and democratic society.

We are deeply grateful to our excellent legal team of Tim Gleason and Adrienne Lei from Dewart Gleason LPP for their outstanding pro bono work in this file.

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À propos de l’association canadienne sur les libertés civiles
L’ACLC est un organisme indépendant à but non lucratif qui compte des partisans dans tout le pays. Fondée en 1964, c’est une association de défense des droits de la personne qui opère à l’échelle du Canada pour défendre les droits, la dignité, la sécurité et les libertés de toute la population.

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