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The goal of the seminar is to bring timely analysis of the Fraser decision and to explore response from the labour community.
Ottawa (24 May 2011) – The Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights (CFLR) will be hosting a seminar of prominent labour law academics, union-side labour lawyers and union leaders next Monday, May 30 in Toronto to discuss the implications of the recent Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) Fraser decision on the Canadian labour movement.
On Friday April 29, the SCC issued its long-awaited decision concerning the protection of the right to collective bargaining under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The decision has important implications on labour rights and collective bargaining rights for workers in Canada.
The five-member majority of the Court upheld its earlier ground-breaking B.C. Health Services decision, which provides that a process of collective bargaining is protected by the guarantee of freedom of association in s. 2(d) of the Charter. However, the majority refused to uphold the Ontario Court of Appeal's ruling on Fraser that agricultural workers are entitled to a process of collective bargaining that includes a statutory dispute-resolution process and legislative protection of a union's right to exclusive representation based on majority support.
The goal of the CFLR seminar is to bring timely analysis of the Fraser decision and to explore response from the labour community. The half-day seminar will present two panels. The first panel will present an overview and analysis of the decision from trade union representatives and legal counsel who were directly involved in the case. The second panel will explore the implications of the Fraser decision and the way forward respecting current labour cases and future strategies for pursuing labour rights.
CFLR is planning to publish a report of the seminar within the next couple of months. The seminar will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.
CFLR
The Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights (CFLR) was established by the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE). CFLR is a national voice devoted to promoting labour rights as an important means to strengthening democracy, equality and economic prosperity here in Canada and internationally. The key objectives the Foundation has established for itself are to create greater public awareness and understanding of labour rights as a key critical component of human rights and to build effective political momentum and public support for progressive labour law reform.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
More Information:
CFLR seminar on Fraser decision – agenda and speakers’ bios
Supreme Court of Canada turns its back on farm workers
Supreme Court decision on rights of agricultural workers unworkable