Regulator Searches of Workplace Devices
The CCF is intervening in a Supreme Court of Canada case to defend Canadians’ privacy rights when personal information is stored on employees’ workplace devices and systems.
In 2024, Newfoundland and Labrador filed a case in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland that the federal government’s current equalization formula violates section 36(2) of the Constitution Act, 1982, which states: “Parliament and the government of Canada are committed to the principle of making equalization payments to ensure that provincial governments have sufficient revenues to provide reasonably comparable levels of…
The province claimed that the current formula is unconstitutional for a number of reasons, including that service delivery costs are higher for a sparsely-populated province and that the formula arbitrarily limits funding rather than ensuring provinces are “fully funded.” Newfoundland sought a ruling that declares the current formula unconstitutional and requires Ottawa to provide additional payments.
The CCF was granted intervener status to argue that Newfoundland’s claims under section 36(2) were not justiciable: in other words, these were political questions and are not the type of matter that a court can consider. The CCF would have also argued that, if the court were to find a breach of s. 36(2), the only appropriate remedy would have been a declaration rather than an order compelling a different allocation of funds, however, in May 2026, Newfoundland and Labrador discontinued the challenge.
Related Cases
Firearms “Variants” Prohibition
The CCF is intervening at the Supreme Court of Canada in a challenge to federal firearms regulations that prohibit a broad range of firearms and their “variants.” The case arose after the Trudeau government in 2020 issued a regulation prohibiting a long list of what they called “military-style assault weapons” and their “variants.” The RCMP…
Rebuilding Ontario Place Act (Ontario Place Protectors v Ontario)
The CCF is intervening at the Supreme Court of Canada in a constitutional challenge to Ontario’s Rebuilding Ontario Place Act (ROPA), legislation tied to the provincial government’s redevelopment of Ontario Place, a defunct waterfront amusement park. ROPA, passed in 2023, exempts the redevelopment from most requirements under the Environmental Assessment Act and the Ontario Heritage…