{"id":24172,"date":"2024-09-17T10:59:06","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T14:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/?post_type=case_summary&#038;p=24172"},"modified":"2025-08-14T05:51:43","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T09:51:43","slug":"fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general","status":"publish","type":"case_summary","link":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/","title":{"rendered":"Fair Voting BC v. Canada (Attorney General)\u00a0(2024)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This case was about the underrepresentation of women and racialized people in Parliament.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LEAF intervened before the Court of Appeal for Ontario.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FACTS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Provisions in the&nbsp;<em>Canada Elections Act<\/em>&nbsp;lay the foundation for Canada\u2019s \u201cfirst past the post\u201d electoral system. Fair Voting BC and Springtide Collective for Democracy Society are challenging these provisions, alleging they violate section 3 (voting rights) and section 15 (equality rights) of the&nbsp;<em>Charter<\/em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The groups argue that the first past the post system does not meet the requirements for effective representation or meaningful participation guaranteed by section 3. They also contend that this system leads to the underrepresentation of women and racialized people in Parliament, because it reduces incentives for political parties to nominate balanced slates of candidates compared to proportional representation systems.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">ARGUMENTS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>LEAF focused our arguments on the need for courts to take a substantive equality approach to section 15 claims and understand the full context of the group bringing the claim. In this case, that meant understanding the role of systemic sexism in political underrepresentation and analyzing whether the current electoral system is <em>a <\/em>cause of that underrepresentation, even if it was not the only or main cause.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">OUTCOME<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ontario Court of Appeal unanimously upheld the constitutionality of Canada\u2019s first past the post electoral system.\u00a0In dismissing the equality rights claim, the Court held that the expert evidence did not establish that first past the post systems create or contribute to a disproportionate impact on women or racialized people in a discriminatory manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Download LEAF&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/C0058-FOI-30-AUG-2024-2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">factum<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read the decision <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canlii.org\/en\/on\/onca\/doc\/2025\/2025onca581\/2025onca581.html?resultId=c06e4b2f3fb241fb85d1b770524b6377&amp;searchId=2025-08-12T14:57:36:308\/8e4774ddd2f6477cbfcc61062afe3967\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LEAF is grateful to be represented by Tina Lie and Mariam Moktar (Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP) in this case.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LEAF\u2019s interventions are guided, informed, and supported by a case committee with expertise in the relevant issues. We are grateful to this intervention\u2019s case committee members (in alphabetical order): Gillian Bourke and Margot Young.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24172","case_summary","type-case_summary","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Fair Voting BC v. Canada (Attorney General)\u00a0(2024) - LEAF<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fair Voting BC v. Canada (Attorney General)\u00a0(2024) - LEAF\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This case was about the underrepresentation of women and racialized people in Parliament.&nbsp; LEAF intervened before the Court of Appeal for Ontario.&nbsp; FACTS Provisions in the&nbsp;Canada Elections Act&nbsp;lay the foundation for Canada\u2019s \u201cfirst past the post\u201d electoral system. Fair Voting BC and Springtide Collective for Democracy Society are challenging these provisions, alleging they violate section [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"LEAF\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-14T09:51:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Dur\u00e9e de lecture estim\u00e9e\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/\",\"name\":\"Fair Voting BC v. Canada (Attorney General)\u00a0(2024) - LEAF\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-17T14:59:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-14T09:51:43+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"R\u00e9sum\u00e9s de d\u00e9cisions\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Fair Voting BC v. Canada (Attorney General)\u00a0(2024)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/\",\"name\":\"LEAF\",\"description\":\"Women&#039;s Legal Education and Action Fund\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/#organization\",\"name\":\"LEAF\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/LEAF_FAEJ_hz_names_colour_rgb.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/LEAF_FAEJ_hz_names_colour_rgb.svg\",\"width\":612,\"height\":110,\"caption\":\"LEAF\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Fair Voting BC v. Canada (Attorney General)\u00a0(2024) - LEAF","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/","og_locale":"fr_FR","og_type":"article","og_title":"Fair Voting BC v. Canada (Attorney General)\u00a0(2024) - LEAF","og_description":"This case was about the underrepresentation of women and racialized people in Parliament.&nbsp; LEAF intervened before the Court of Appeal for Ontario.&nbsp; FACTS Provisions in the&nbsp;Canada Elections Act&nbsp;lay the foundation for Canada\u2019s \u201cfirst past the post\u201d electoral system. Fair Voting BC and Springtide Collective for Democracy Society are challenging these provisions, alleging they violate section [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/","og_site_name":"LEAF","article_modified_time":"2025-08-14T09:51:43+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Dur\u00e9e de lecture estim\u00e9e":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/","url":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/","name":"Fair Voting BC v. Canada (Attorney General)\u00a0(2024) - LEAF","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-09-17T14:59:06+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-14T09:51:43+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"fr-FR","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/fair-voting-bc-v-canada-attorney-general\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"R\u00e9sum\u00e9s de d\u00e9cisions","item":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Fair Voting BC v. Canada (Attorney General)\u00a0(2024)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/","name":"LEAF","description":"Women&#039;s Legal Education and Action Fund","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"fr-FR"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/#organization","name":"LEAF","url":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"fr-FR","@id":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/LEAF_FAEJ_hz_names_colour_rgb.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/LEAF_FAEJ_hz_names_colour_rgb.svg","width":612,"height":110,"caption":"LEAF"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case_summary\/24172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case_summary"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/case_summary"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}