Summary

Keywords

Constitutional Law — Charter of Rights — Language Rights — Administrative Tribunals — Does the right to an interpreter include the right to a state-funded interpreter? — Does the right to address the court in English or French obligate parties opposite or the court to translate pleadings and evidence into another official language?

Summary

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Mr. Carby-Samuels has filed complaints against Ville de Gatineau and several individual police officers at the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal. The respondents have addressed the Tribunal and Mr. Carby-Samuels in French. The Tribunal made preliminary rulings, which included that Mr. Carby-Samuels was not entitled to English translation or interpretation, but that he could hire such services on his own.

Mr. Carby-Samuels filed an application to appeal to the Superior Court of Quebec, and the respondents filed a motion asking the court to decline jurisdiction. Mr. Carby-Samuels objected to the respondents arguing that motion in French. The Superior Court issued a judgment on Mr. Carby-Samuels objection and held that Mr. Carby-Samuels was entitled to plead his case in English but was not entitled to state-funded interpretation or translation.

Lower Court Rulings