The teachers’ unions of Quebec entered into a modification of the collective agreement with the Province which affected a minority group of younger and less experienced teachers. The younger teachers complained to the Quebec Human Rights Commission that the agreement discriminated against them and violated the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. The Commission brought the matter before the Human Rights Tribunal.
The Government respondents filed a motion asking the Tribunal to decline jurisdiction on the basis that labour arbitrators possessed exclusive jurisdiction over the dispute. The Tribunal rejected the motion but the Quebec Court of Appeal reversed the decision. The matter then proceeded to the Supreme Court of Canada.
The Supreme Court overturned the decision of the Quebec Court of Appeal and reinstated the jurisdiction of the Human Rights Tribunal. The Supreme Court provided four reasons for its decision:
Commission des Droits de la Personne et des Droits de la Jeunesse v. Quebec (Attorney General), 2004 SCC 39, June 11, 2004.