AMC pleased the Supreme Court holds that governments cannot violate fundamental rights based on costs
June 12, 2020
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba
alexpapineau
Treaty One Territory, MB – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs expresses strong approval of today’s decision of the Supreme Court of Canada case Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique v British Columbia (Education) in which it intervened.
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Arlen Dumas said, “We are pleased and heartened that Canada’s highest court stands with us in asserting that governments cannot deny the rights of protected groups by saying it costs too much to fix what is wrong. The Supreme Court also accepted our argument that even more careful scrutiny must be applied for historically disadvantaged individuals and groups when their fundamental rights are threatened, as they face historically high rates of assimilation.”
The AMC called on the Court to ensure that the analysis and standard for justifying the infringement of rights remains rigorous and high, and to not allow it to be diluted by considerations like costs, or by assumptions like the apparent inevitability of assimilation. The AMC argued that overriding constitutionally protected rights and freedoms based solely on what’s available in the public purse will necessarily exacerbate existing barriers for First Nations in Manitoba.