CANADIAN CASES on EMPLOYMENT LAW Fourth Series/Quatri`Eme S´Erie Recueil De Jurisprudence Canadienne En Droit Du Travail VOLUME 32 (Cited 32 C.C.E.L
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CANADIAN CASES ON EMPLOYMENT LAW Fourth Series/Quatri`eme s´erie Recueil de jurisprudence canadienne en droit du travail VOLUME 32 (Cited 32 C.C.E.L. (4th)) EDITORS-IN-CHIEF/REDACTEURS´ EN CHEF William R. Gale, B.MUS., BAC., LL.B. R. Mark Fletcher, B.A.(HONS.), LL.B., LL.M. Grosman, Grosman & Gale LLP Toronto, Ontario ASSISTANT EDITORS/ADJOINTS A` LA REDACTION´ Robert Bonhomme, D.E.C., B.L.L. Michael J. Weiler, B.A., LL.B. Heenan Blaikie LLP Boughton Law Corporation Montr´eal, Qu´ebec Vancouver, British Columbia Malcolm J. MacKillop, B.A., LL.B. Matthew L.O. Certosimo, B.A.(HONS.), Shields O’Donnell MacKillop LLP LL.B. Toronto, Ontario Borden Ladner Gervais Toronto, Ontario Magali Cournoyer-Proulx, D.E.C., LL.B. Heenan Blaikie LLP, Montr´eal, Qu´ebec EDITORIAL STAFF/REDACTION´ Cheryl L. McPherson, B.A.(HONS.) Robert S. Greenfield, B.A., J.D. Director, Primary Content Operations Product Development Manager Nicole Ross, B.A., LL.B. Julia Fischer, B.A.(HONS.), LL.B. 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ISSN 0824-2607 ISBN 978-0-7798-4116-5 Printed in Canada by Thomson Reuters THOMSON REUTERS CANADA, A DIVISION OF THOMSON REUTERS CANADA LIMITED One Corporate Plaza Customer Relations 2075 Kennedy Road Toronto 1-416-609-3800 Toronto, Ontario Elsewhere in Canada/U.S. 1-800-387-5164 M1T 3V4 Fax 1-416-298-5082 www.carswell.com Contact www.carswell.com/email CANADIAN CASES ON EMPLOYMENT LAW Fourth Series/Quatri`eme s´erie Recueil de jurisprudence canadienne en droit du travail [Indexed as: Wilson v. Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.] Joseph Wilson (Appellant) and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (Respondent) and Canadian Labour Congress, Canadian Association for Non-Organized Employees, Federally Regulated Employers - Transportation and Communications and Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers (Interveners) Supreme Court of Canada Docket: 36354 2016 CSC 29, 2016 SCC 29 McLachlin C.J.C., Abella, Cromwell, Moldaver, Karakatsanis, Wagner, Gascon, Cˆot´e, Brown JJ. Heard: January 19, 2016 Judgment: July 14, 2016 Labour and employment law –––– Labour law — Discipline and termina- tion — Kinds of discipline — Discharge — Just cause –––– Employee was dismissed without cause after 4.5 years employment, and given six months’ pay — Employee brought successful unjust dismissal complaint under s. 240 of Canada Labour Code — Adjudicator found that, as matter of statutory interpre- tation, Code only permitted dismissals for just cause — Employer brought suc- cessful application for judicial review — Employee’s appeal to Federal Court of Appeal was dismissed — Employee appealed — Appeal allowed — Standard of review was reasonableness, and issue was whether adjudicator’s interpretation of ss. 240 to 246 of Code was reasonable — Purpose of statutory scheme was to ensure that non-unionized federal employees would be entitled to protection from being dismissed without cause under Pt. III of Code — Provisions offered statutory alternative to common law of dismissals, and to align protection from unjust dismissal for non-unionized federal employees with those available to un- ionized employees — If employer could dismiss without cause under Code by 2 CANADIAN CASES ON EMPLOYMENT LAW 32 C.C.E.L. (4th) providing severance pay, no role would exist for plurality of remedies available to adjudicator. Administrative law –––– Standard of review — Miscellaneous –––– Revised standard of review - reasonableness — Employee was dismissed without cause after 4.5 years employment, and given six months’ pay — Employee brought successful unjust dismissal complaint under s. 240 of Canada Labour Code — Adjudicator found that, as matter of statutory interpretation, Code only permit- ted dismissals for just cause — Employer brought successful application for ju- dicial review — Employee’s appeal to Federal Court of Appeal was dis- missed — Employee appealed — Appeal allowed — Standard of review was reasonableness, and issue was whether adjudicator’s interpretation of ss. 240 to 246 of Code was reasonable — Purpose of statutory scheme was to ensure that non-unionized federal employees would be entitled to protection from being dis- missed without cause under Pt.