[lg policy] Canada: Supreme Court hears Halifax language case

[Harold Schiffman]

Supreme Court hears Halifax language case
CBC News
Posted: Oct 20, 2011 4:24 PM AT
Last Updated: Oct 20, 2011 4:19 PM AT

The Supreme Court of Canada has reserved its decision on a
French-language rights case from Halifax following a hearing
Wednesday.

The highest court in the country will determine whether the Nova
Scotia Human Rights Commission can hear a discrimination complaint
against the Halifax Regional Municipality, even though the policy that
led to this complaint has changed.

Lucien Comeau turned to the commission years eight years ago to
complain about a lack of supplementary funding for French-language
schools.

At the time, the money from ratepayers went to schools run by the
Halifax Regional School Board, not the Conseil scolaire acadien
provincial.

Comeau, an Acadian, claims that amounted to discrimination. Though he
was paying taxes, none of the money for supplementary funding went to
the schools his children attended.

The policy at the centre of his complaint changed in 2006.
French-language schools have been getting a share of supplementary
funding ever since.

The municipality argues there's no need for a human rights inquiry
because the funding policy has changed.

HRM won a court case in 2009 to prevent an inquiry. However, the
decision was later overturned by the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. The
municipality appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court.

Michel Doucet represented Comeau at a hearing in Ottawa on Wednesday.

"If the decision is favourable … it would mean easier access to
justice for ordinary citizens in Canada, and certainly Mr. Comeau
would have a ground-breaking decision," said Doucet.

He said it could be at least five months before there's a decision.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/10/20/ns-scoc-french-hrm.html

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