PRESS RELEASE: Supreme Court Rules Parliament Hill Employees Entitled to Human Rights Protection
May 24, 2005
OTTAWA – On Friday, May 20, 2005, the Supreme Court of Canada issued its decision in the case of House of Commons et al. v. Satman Vaid et al. The Canadian Association of Professional Employees (“CAPE”) welcomes the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision that confirms once and for all that parliamentary employees are entitled to the same basic and fundamental human rights protections as all other employees.
By successfully intervening in the case at all levels of court, CAPE has been leading the fight on this issue on behalf of the members of the Analysts and Research Assistants bargaining unit, who work in the Library of Parliament.
CAPE President José Aggrey is “delighted with the decision.”
“The Supreme Court’s decision makes it clear that members of Parliament, the Senate and the House of Commons are not above the law. They too must comply with human rights legislation that prohibits them from discriminating against not only CAPE members employed on Parliament Hill, but also all other employees on the Hill.”
The decision is an important one that affirms the language of section 2 of the Canadian Human Rights Act that “…every individual should have an equal opportunity… to make for himself or herself the life that he or she is able and wishes to have … without being hindered in or prevented from doing so by discriminatory practices…”
“Although we are delighted with this victory, it is important not to forget that Mr. Vaid is still waiting for his complaint to be adjudicated on its merits. We trust that his hearing can now proceed without delay. He has suffered long enough.”
CAPE is the third largest union in the federal public service, representing approximately 10,200 federal public service employees working as economists, statisticians, sociologists, translators, interpreters, terminologists, employees who provide social science support to professionals, and analysts and research assistant who work at the Parliamentary Information and Research Service at the Library of Parliament.
For further information, please contact:
José Aggrey at 236-0597 (Ext. 223)
May 24, 2005
OTTAWA – On Friday, May 20, 2005, the Supreme Court of Canada issued its decision in the case of House of Commons et al. v. Satman Vaid et al. The Canadian Association of Professional Employees (“CAPE”) welcomes the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision that confirms once and for all that parliamentary employees are entitled to the same basic and fundamental human rights protections as all other employees.
By successfully intervening in the case at all levels of court, CAPE has been leading the fight on this issue on behalf of the members of the Analysts and Research Assistants bargaining unit, who work in the Library of Parliament.
CAPE President José Aggrey is “delighted with the decision.”
“The Supreme Court’s decision makes it clear that members of Parliament, the Senate and the House of Commons are not above the law. They too must comply with human rights legislation that prohibits them from discriminating against not only CAPE members employed on Parliament Hill, but also all other employees on the Hill.”
The decision is an important one that affirms the language of section 2 of the Canadian Human Rights Act that “…every individual should have an equal opportunity… to make for himself or herself the life that he or she is able and wishes to have … without being hindered in or prevented from doing so by discriminatory practices…”
“Although we are delighted with this victory, it is important not to forget that Mr. Vaid is still waiting for his complaint to be adjudicated on its merits. We trust that his hearing can now proceed without delay. He has suffered long enough.”
CAPE is the third largest union in the federal public service, representing approximately 10,200 federal public service employees working as economists, statisticians, sociologists, translators, interpreters, terminologists, employees who provide social science support to professionals, and analysts and research assistant who work at the Parliamentary Information and Research Service at the Library of Parliament.
For further information, please contact:
José Aggrey at 236-0597 (Ext. 223)