Ottawa – On Tuesday, February 18, the Supreme Court of Canada will hear arguments in Mounted Police Association of Ontario v. Attorney General of Canada. The BCCLA is an intervener in the case.

This case concerns the ability of RCMP officers to unionize. Under the law, RCMP members and any professional organizations formed on their behalf are excluded from collective bargaining. The Mounted Police Association of Ontario (MPAO) and the BC Mounted Police Professional Association (BCMPPA) have brought a court case arguing that the law violates RCMP members’ constitutional right to freedom of association under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. A staff relations representative program is the only process for resolving labour issues, but the MPAO and BCMPPA assert that it is not independent of management.

The BCCLA will argue that the regime in place for RCMP members is an unjustifiable violation of RCMP members’ right to free association as it prohibits members from taking any meaningful collective action. The BCCLA takes the position that public interest is not served when RCMP officers have no meaningful access to workplace democracy or to effective, independent grievance procedures.

The BCCLA is represented by Lindsay M. Lyster and Jessica Derynck of Moore Edgar Lyster.

The BCCLA’s argument in this case is available here >>

What: SCC to hear oral arguments in Mounted Police Association of Ontario, et al. v. AG Canada
When: Oral arguments to begin on Tuesday, February 18 at 9:30 am EST / 6:30 am PST
Where: Supreme Court of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Who: Lawyers for the BCCLA available for comment