October 11, 2011
OTTAWA, ON: The appeal of Whatcott v. Saskatchewan (Human Rights Tribunal) will be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada on Wednesday, October 12, 2011. The Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) is intervening in support of the right of individuals to express their opinions on matters of public policy. The CCF is one of a limited number of interveners granted permission to make both oral and written arguments before the court. The CCF intervened previously in this case at the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal. The CCF’s lawyer is Mark Gelowitz, partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP.

Chronology:

• 2001-2002—Whatcott distributes flyers under the name “Christian Truth Activists”.
• May 2, 2005—The Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal rules that Whatcott breached section 14 of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code and orders that he pay $17,500 in damages to a group of offended individuals.
• December 11, 2007—The Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench affirms the decision of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.
• February 25, 2010—The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal overturns the decision of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal.
• October 12, 2011—Appeal to be argued before the Supreme Court of Canada.

The Canadian Constitution Foundation is a registered charity, independent and non-partisan, which defends the constitutional freedoms of Canadians through education, communication and litigation.

For more information, contact:
Chris Schafer, Executive Director, Canadian Constitution Foundation
(647) 389-8052
CSchafer@CanadianConstitutionFoundation.ca
www.theCCF.ca