Canada

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Canada
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OP-ICESCR

The appellant Irma Sparks, a single black mother with two children relied on social assistance and had lived in public housing for ten years. She was given one month's notice that she would be evicted with no reason given. Public housing was exempted from the security of tenure provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act.  Sparks alleged the legislation discriminated on the enumerated ground of race and sex and on the “analogous” grounds of marital/family status (single mothers) and poverty/income.

Jeannine Godin lived in poverty and relied on social assistance.  The Minister of Health and Social Services had been granted custody of her three children for six months, and was applying to extend this for another six months.  She applied to legal aid for a lawyer to represent her at the hearing but was denied because legal aid did not cover temporary custody hearings.  She applied to the court for an order that funds be provided for a lawyer and asked for a declaration that the restricted eligibility for legal aid violated her rights to life, liberty and security of the person under s.

In 1994 the Agriculture Labour Relations Act (ALRA) was passed to include agricultural workers in the Province of Ontario's labour relations regime.  One year later a newly elected Conservative government repealed the ALRA.  The Appellants challenged both the repeal of the ALRA and the exclusion of agricultural workers from the Labour Relations Act (LRA) as an infringement of the rights of agricultural workers to associate under section 2(d) of the Canadian Charter.  They also alleged discrimination against a vulnerable class of workers, in violation of the right to equali

Francophone parents in five school districts applied for an order that French-language facilities and programs be provided at the secondary school level as required by s. 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.   The trial judge found a s.

Country: 
Canada
Working Group(s) / Area(s) of Work: 
Women & ESCR
OP-ICESCR
Country: 
Canada
Working Group(s) / Area(s) of Work: 
Women & ESCR
Corporate Accountability
Economic Policy
OP-ICESCR

In 1990 the non-profit agency that had provided sign language interpreter services in the lower mainland of British Columbia began experiencing serious financial difficulties and sought funding through officials at the Ministry of Health.  It was turned down.