On September 26, the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF), la Fédération des parents francophones de C.-B., and co-appellant parents appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada at a hearing which took place, atypically, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Sitting outside of Ottawa for the first time in its history, Canada’s final court of appeal heard the reasons why the appellants believe that the Supreme Court of British Columbia made fundamental errors of law in its judgment of September 26, 2016.

In April 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada agreed to hear this case because it raises issues of public and national interest.

In addition to listening to presentations from the CSF and the Fédération des parents, as well as from the Government of British Columbia, the nine judges of Canada's highest court also heard from the twelve organizations and six provincial and territorial governments who had requested to act as intervening parties at the hearing.

The intervening parties that wanted to highlight the importance and potential impacts of this case included, among others: the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada, the Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones, the Commission nationale des parents francophones, the Canadian Association for Progress in Justice, and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

“This is a historic moment not only for the future of Francophone education in British Columbia, but also for the future of all of B.C.’s Francophone community,” said CSF Chair Marie-Pierre Lavoie. “We have done everything in our power to get equivalent spaces for our students, but so far without success. We are confident that the Supreme Court of Canada will hear our requests and will understand the urgency to act on this matter.”

“We must insist that governments uphold the rights of Francophone minorities,” said Suzana Straus, Chair of the Fédération des parents. “The judges’ decision will have an impact not only on the Francophone community in our province, but also on Francophone communities throughout the country. The future of upcoming generations is now in the hands of the Supreme Court of Canada.”

The Supreme Court of Canada could deliver its judgment within six to eight months, in 2020.

To watch the live broadcast of the September 26 hearing, please visit the Supreme Court of Canada website.

For more information on the legal action: https://causejuridique.csf.bc.ca. 

Crédit for the last photo :    Julie Landry (Radio-Canada Colombie-Britannique - Yukon)'s Twitter account