Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Conversation
The Conversation
Politics
Yan Campagnolo, Vice-Dean and Full Professor, Common Law Section, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

The Supreme Court of Canada is wrong to refuse to translate its pre-1970 decisions

The Supreme Court of Canada has published all of its decisions in both official languages since 1970, immediately after the Official Languages Act was enacted.

But what about the decisions the highest court handed down prior to 1970? Should these decisions, which were mostly written in English, be translated so that they are available in both official languages?

Until very recently, the OLA was not interpreted as requiring the Supreme Court to translate its old decisions. However, in 2021, in response to a complaint filed by lawyer Marie-Andrée Denis-Boileau, the Commissioner of Official Languages, Raymond Théberge, held that the Court was in breach of the OLA by publishing unilingual decisions on its website, on the grounds that they constitute communications with the public by a federal institution.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.