{"id":24308,"date":"2024-11-05T08:40:48","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T13:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/?post_type=news&p=24308"},"modified":"2024-11-05T08:44:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-05T13:44:03","slug":"court-to-hear-leaf-arguments-in-legal-challenge-of-canadas-electoral-system","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/news\/court-to-hear-leaf-arguments-in-legal-challenge-of-canadas-electoral-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Court to hear LEAF arguments in legal challenge of Canada\u2019s electoral system\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Toronto, November 5, 2024 \u2013 <\/strong>Today, the Women\u2019s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) will appear before the Ontario Court of Appeal in Fair Voting BC v. Canada (Attorney General)<\/em>, a case challenging the constitutionality of Canada\u2019s first past the post electoral system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Provisions in the Canada Elections Act<\/em> lay the foundation for Canada\u2019s \u201cfirst past the post\u201d electoral system. Fair Voting BC and Springtide Collective for Democracy Society have challenged these provisions, arguing that they violate section 3 (voting rights) and section 15 (equality rights) of the Charter<\/em>. The Ontario Court of Appeal will hear the case on November 5 and 6, 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organizations argue that the first past the post system does provide effective representation or meaningful participation for Canadian voters. 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the lower court judge accepted that the percentage of women in Canada\u2019s Parliament, which is currently 30%, is \u201ctoo low\u201d, he attributed that underrepresentation to \u201csociety\u2019s systemic sexism\u201d rather than the first past the post system.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In court, LEAF will argue that when someone alleges a law \u2013 such as the law creating Canada\u2019s first past the post system \u2013 violates their Charter<\/em>-protected equality rights, they should not be required to prove that this law is the only <\/em>or the dominant <\/em>cause of underrepresentation. Instead, equality law requires evidence that the law is merely a <\/em>cause.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe underrepresentation of women in elected office is a pervasive and persistent problem,\u201d says Pam Hrick, Executive Director and General Counsel of LEAF. \u201cThe Court needs to properly consider the realities of political participation for women in Canada and cannot impose too high a burden on claimants in equality rights cases.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

LEAF is grateful to be represented pro bono <\/em>by Tina Lie and Mariam Moktar (Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP) in this case.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For media inquiries, please contact media@leaf.ca<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Women\u2019s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)  <\/strong> 
The Women\u2019s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) is a national not-for-profit and charity that works to advance the equality rights of women, girls, trans, and non-binary people in Canada through litigation,\u202flaw reform,\u202fand public legal education.\u202fSince 1985, LEAF has intervened in more than 130 cases that have helped shape the\u202fCanadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms<\/em>. To find out more, visit\u202fwww.leaf.ca. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24308","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCourt to hear LEAF arguments in legal challenge of Canada\u2019s electoral system\u00a0 - 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\/news\/court-to-hear-leaf-arguments-in-legal-challenge-of-canadas-electoral-system\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Court to hear LEAF arguments in legal challenge of Canada\u2019s electoral system\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"LEAF will argue that when someone alleges a law violates their Charter-protected equality rights, they should not be required to prove that this law is the only or the dominant cause of underrepresentation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/news\/court-to-hear-leaf-arguments-in-legal-challenge-of-canadas-electoral-system\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"LEAF\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-05T13:44:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/iStock-1263715290.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1252\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"837\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Court to hear LEAF arguments in legal challenge of Canada\u2019s electoral system\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"LEAF will argue that when someone alleges a law violates their Charter-protected equality rights, they should not be required to prove that this law is the only or the dominant cause of underrepresentation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/iStock-1263715290.jpg\" \/>\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\/news\/court-to-hear-leaf-arguments-in-legal-challenge-of-canadas-electoral-system\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/news\/court-to-hear-leaf-arguments-in-legal-challenge-of-canadas-electoral-system\/\",\"name\":\"Court to hear LEAF arguments in legal challenge of Canada\u2019s electoral system\u00a0 - 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