Recording: Fraser v Canada (2020 SCC): 20/20 Vision on Equality?

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On October 16, 2020 the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in Fraser v Canada. A majority of the Court held that the pension regime for RCMP members discriminated on the basis of sex in the way it disadvantaged workers (disproportionately women) who job-shared due to childcare responsibilities. The decision is a rare victory for women under s. 15 of the Charter and a strong endorsement of substantive equality principles and the availability of s. 15 to address discrimination by adverse effects. 

Does Fraser signal a new vision of equality and new pathways to address systemic discrimination through s. 15 of the Charter? What are the possibilities and limitations of this decision? On October 30 from 12:30-2pm PST on Zoom, the Centre for Feminist Legal Studies brought together an all-star panel of feminist scholars and lawyers to dig into the decision and the future of equality rights litigation. 

Speakers:

Danielle Bisnar (Cavalluzzo LLP)

Fay Faraday (Osgoode Hall Law School)

Jennifer Koshan (University of Calgary)

Jonnette Watson Hamilton (University of Calgary)

Joshua Sealy-Harrington (Power Law)

Margot Young (Peter A. Allard School of Law)

Sonia Lawrence (Osgoode Hall Law School)
 

Moderated by Debra Parkes (Peter A. Allard School of Law)