Intervener Canadian-Superior-Courts-Judges
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Court File No. 38381 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA (ON APPEAL FROM THE COURT OF APPEAL FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA) B E T W E E N: ATTORNEY GENERAL OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Appellant (Appellant) -and- PROVINCIAL COURT JUDGES' ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Respondent (Respondent) ______________________ Court File No. 38459 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA (ON APPEAL FROM THE NOVA SCOTIA COURT OF APPEAL) BETWEEN: ATTORNEY GENERAL OF NOVA SCOTIA REPRESENTING HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN RIGHT OF THE PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL Appellant (Appellant) and JUDGES OF THE PROVINCIAL COURT AND FAMILY COURT OF NOVA SCOTIA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE NOVA SCOTIA PROVINCIAL JUDGES ASSOCIATION Respondent (Respondent) and ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF ONTARIO, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF QUEBEC, ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR SASKATCHEWAN, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF ALBERTA, CANADIAN SUPERIOR COURTS JUDGES ASSOCIATION, CANADIAN BAR ASSOCIATION, CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF PROVINCIAL COURT JUDGES, CANADIAN TAXPAYERS FEDERATION AND CANADIAN CIVIL LIBERTIES ASSOCIATION Interveners FACTUM OF THE INTERVENER CANADIAN SUPERIOR COURTS JUDGES ASSOCIATION (Pursuant to Rule 42 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada) Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP Suite 2500 45 O’Connor Street 1 Place Ville Marie Suite 1500 Montréal, Québec H3B 1R1 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1A4 Pierre Bienvenu, Ad. E. Azim Hussain Matthew J. Halpin Jean-Simon Schoenholz Tel: (613) 780-8654 Tel.: 514 847-4747 Fax: (613) 230-5459 Fax: 514 286-5474 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for the Intervener Agent for Counsel for the Intervener Canadian Superior Courts Judges Association Canadian Superior Courts Judges Association Gudmundseth Mickelson LLP Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP 2525 - 1075 West Georgia Street 160 Elgin Street, Suite 2600 Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 4H3 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1C3 Stein K. Gudmundseth, Q.C. Jeffrey W. Beedell Andrew D. Gay, Q.C. Tel.: (613) 786-0171 Clayton J. Gallant Fax: (613) 788-3587 Tel.: (604) 685-6272 [email protected] Fax: (604) 685-8434 [email protected] Counsel for the Appellant Agents for Counsel for the Appellant Attorney General of British Columbia Attorney General of British Columbia Arvay Finlay LLP Supreme Advocacy LLP 1512-808 Nelson Street 100- 340 Gilmour Street Vancouver, British Columbia V6Z 2H2 Ottawa, Ontario K2P 0R3 Joseph J. Arvay Q.C. Marie-France Major Alison Latimer Tel: (613) 695-8855 Ext: 102 Tel.: (604) 696-9828 Fax: (613) 695-8580 Fax: (888) 575-3281 [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for the Respondent Agents for Counsel for the Respondent Provincial Court Judges’ Association of Provincial Court Judges’ Association of British British Columbia Columbia Attorney General of Nova Scotia Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP 1690 Hollis Street, 8th Floor 160 Elgin Street, Suite 2600 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2L6 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1C3 Edward A. Gores, Q.C. D. Lynne Watt Tel.: (902) 424-4024 Tel.: (613) 786-8695 Fax: (902) 424-1730 Fax: (613) 788-3509 [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for the Appellants Agents for Counsel for the Appellants Attorney General of Nova Scotia Attorney General of Nova Scotia Representing Representing Her Majesty The Queen In Her Majesty The Queen In Right of The Right of The Province of Nova Scotia Province of Nova Scotia Governor in Council Governor in Council Myers LLP Supreme Advocacy LLP 724-240 Graham Avenue 100 - 340 Gilmour Street Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 0J7 Ottawa, Ontario K2P 0R3 Susan Dawes Marie-France Major Kristen Worbanski Tel.: (613) 695-8855 Ext: 102 Tel.: (204) 926-1501 Fax: (613) 695-8580 Fax: (204) 956-0625 [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for the Respondent Agents for Counsel for the Respondent Judges of the Provincial Court and Family Judges of the Provincial Court and Family Court of Nova Scotia, As Represented by Court of Nova Scotia, As Represented by the the Nova Scotia Provincial Judges Nova Scotia Provincial Judges Association Association Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower 1300-100 Queen Street 3400 - 22 Adelaide Street West Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1J9 Toronto, Ontario M5H 4E3 Karen Perron Guy J. Pratte Tel: (613) 369-4795 Nadia Effendi Fax: (613) 230-8842 Ewa Krajewska [email protected] Neil Abraham Tel: (416) 367-6000 Fax: (416) 367-6749 [email protected] Counsel for the Intervener Agents for Counsel for the Intervener Canadian Bar Association Canadian Bar Association Goldblatt Partners LLP 30 Metcalfe Street Suite 500 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5L4 Steven Barrett Colleen Bauman Tel: (613) 235-5327 Fax: (613) 235-3041 E-mail: [email protected] Counsel for the Intervener Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges Attorney General of Alberta Michel J. Sobkin 9th Floor Peace Hills Trust Tower 331 Somerset Street West 10011-109 Street Ottawa, Ontario K2P 0J8 Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3S8 Tel: (613) 282-1712 Doreen Mueller Fax: (613) 288-2896 Tel: (780) 427-1295 [email protected] Fax: (780) 427-1230 [email protected] Counsel for the Intervener Agents for Counsel for the Intervener Attorney General of Alberta Attorney General of Alberta Attorney General of Canada Department of Justice Ontario Regional Office 50 O'Connor Street 120 Adelaide Street West, Suite 400 Suite 500 Toronto, Ontario M5H 1T1 Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8 Michael H. Morris Christopher Rupar Dayna S. Anderson Tel: (613) 670-6290 Tel: (647) 256-7539 Fax: (613) 954-1920 Fax: (416) 952-4518 [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for the Intervener Agents for Counsel for the Intervener Attorney General of Canada Attorney General of Canada Attorney General of Ontario Juristes Power 720 Bay Street, 4th Floor 130 rue Albert Toronto, Ontario M7A 2S9 bureau 1103 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4 Sarah Kraicer Andrea Bolieiro Maxine Vincelette Tel: (416) 894-5276 Tel: (613) 702-5573 Fax: (416) 326-4015 Fax: (613) 702-5573 [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for the Intervener Agents for Counsel for the Intervener Attorney General of Ontario Attorney General of Ontario McCarthy Tétrault LLP Power Law Suite 5300, Toronto Dominion Bank 130 Albert Street Tower Suite 1103 Toronto, Ontario M5K 1E6 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4 Adam Goldenberg Darius Bossé Amanda D. Iarusso Tel: (613) 702-5566 Tel: (416) 601-8200 Fax: (613) 702-5566 Fax: (416) 868-0673 [email protected] [email protected] Agents for Counsel for the Intervener Counsel for the Intervener Canadian Taxpayers Federation Canadian Taxpayers Federation Procureure générale du Québec Noël & Associés 1200, Route de l'Église 111 rue Champlain 3e étage Gatineau, Quebec J8X 3R1 Québec, Quebec G1V 4M1 Sylvie Labbé Stéphane Rochette Tel: (819) 771-7393 Robert Desroches Fax: (819) 771-5397 Brigitte Bussières [email protected] Tel: (418) 643-6552 Ext: 20734 Fax: (418) 643-9749 [email protected] Counsel for the Intervener Agents for Counsel for the Intervener Attorney General of Quebec Attorney General of Quebec Attorney General for Saskatchewan Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP Legal Services Division 160 Elgin Street 900 - 1874 Scarth Street Suite 2600 Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 4B3 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1C3 Thomson Irvine, Q.C. D. Lynne Watt Kyle McCreary Tel: (613) 786-8695 Tel: (306) 787-6307 Fax: (613) 788-3509 Fax: (306) 787-9111 [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for the Intervener Agents for Counsel for the Intervener Attorney General for Saskatchewan Attorney General for Saskatchewan Paliare, Roland, Rosenberg, Rothstein, Dentons Canada LLP LLP 99 Bank Street 155 Wellington Street West Suite 1420 35th Floor Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1H4 Toronto, Ontario M5V 3H1 David R. Elliott Andrew K. Lokan Tel: (613) 783-9699 Tel: (416) 646-4324 Fax: (613) 783-9690 Fax: (416) 646-4301 [email protected] [email protected] Agents for Counsel for the Intervener Counsel for the Intervener Canadian Civil Liberties Association Canadian Civil Liberties Association TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Factum of the Intervener, Canadian Superior Courts Judges Association 1 PART I: OVERVIEW 1 PART II: POSITION ON THE QUESTIONS IN ISSUE 2 PART III: ARGUMENT 2 A. Lessons Learned 2 B. Meaningful Review of Government Responses 3 C. Parity of Available Evidence and Level Playing Field 5 D. Uniformity of Approach across Canada 7 E. Bodner and the Criteria for Confidentiality of Cabinet Documents 10 PART IV: SUBMISSIONS REGARDING COSTS 10 PART V: ORDER SOUGHT 10 PART VI: TABLE OF AUTHORITIES 11 1 FACTUM OF THE INTERVENER CANADIAN SUPERIOR COURTS JUDGES ASSOCIATION PART I – OVERVIEW 1. The Canadian Superior Courts Judges Association (the “Association”) represents federally appointed judges from across Canada.1 Drawing on its experience before the federal Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission (the “Quadrennial Commission”), the Association intervenes in these appeals (the “Appeals”) to submit that judicial review of government rejections of recommendations made by judicial compensation commissions should be meaningful, ensure a level playing field between the parties, and be uniform in terms of the evidence available to the judiciary and the government. 2. The above three characteristics mean the following in the context of access to cabinet documents for judicial review proceedings, applying the test in Bodner2: (a) Meaningful. The constitutional principle of judicial independence requires that any judicial review of a government response to a compensation commission not be artificially constrained by the four corners of the government response. In that sense, the judicial review must be meaningful. (b) Level playing field. The evidentiary rules applicable to judicial review of a government response must ensure that there is parity and a level playing field between the parties. Since this Court has held in the past that the government can choose to present favourable evidence in support of its response, it must be the case that, in principle, it can also be compelled to disclose unfavourable evidence.