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Case information

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38613

Attorney General of Quebec, et al. v. 9147-0732 Québec inc.

(Quebec) (Criminal) (By Leave)

Docket

Judgments on applications for leave to appeal are rendered by the Court, but are not necessarily unanimous.

List of proceedings
Date Proceeding Filed By
(if applicable)
2021-02-22 Appeal closed
2020-11-06 Formal judgment sent to the registrar of the court of appeal and all parties
2020-11-06 Judgment on appeal and notice of deposit of judgment sent to all parties
2020-11-05 Judgment on the appeal rendered, CJ Abe Mo Ka Côt Br Row Mar Kas, The appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal of Quebec (Québec), Number 200-10-003462-178, 2019 QCCA 373, dated March 4, 2019, heard on January 22, 2020, is allowed and the judgment of the Court of Appeal is set aside.
Allowed
2020-09-16 Notice of change of counsel, (Letter Form), Isabelle Bouchard is now Agent for the Appellant, Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions
2020-02-06 Transcript received, 124 pages
2020-01-23 Correspondence received from, (Letter Form), the Intervener, Association des avocats de la défense de Montréal, information regarding authority cited in their oral argument. Association des avocats de la défense de Montréal
2020-01-22 Judgment reserved OR rendered with reasons to follow
2020-01-22 Hearing of the appeal, 2020-01-22, CJ Abe Mo Ka Côt Br Row Mar Kas
Judgment reserved
2020-01-22 Respondent's condensed book, (Book Form) 9147-0732 Québec inc.
2020-01-22 Appellant's condensed book, (Book Form) Attorney General of Quebec
2020-01-20 Correspondence received from, (Letter Form), Ask for disctribution of a decision. Director of Public Prosecutions
2020-01-09 Notice of appearance, (Letter Form), Laura Elisabeth Trempe and Marie-Pier Champagne will appear before the court. Mrs. Trempe will present oral arguments. Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions
2020-01-08 Intervener's book of authorities, (Book Form), Completed on: 2020-01-08 Canadian Constitution Foundation
2020-01-08 Intervener's factum, (Book Form), Completed on: 2020-01-08 Canadian Constitution Foundation
2020-01-08 Intervener's book of authorities, (Book Form), Missing: Proof of Service (rec' 01/09/20), electronic version (rec' 09/01/20), Completed on: 2020-01-10 Director of Public Prosecutions
2020-01-08 Intervener's factum, (Book Form), Completed on: 2020-01-08 Attorney General of Ontario
2020-01-08 Intervener's factum, (Book Form), Missing: Proof of service (rec' 01/09/20), electronic version (rec' 01/09/20), Completed on: 2020-01-10 Director of Public Prosecutions
2020-01-08 Intervener's book of authorities, (Book Form), Missing: Proof of Service (rec'd 2020-01-09), Completed on: 2020-01-09 Canadian Civil Liberties Association
2020-01-08 Intervener's factum, (Book Form), Missing: Proof of Service (rec'd 2020-01-09), Completed on: 2020-01-09 Canadian Civil Liberties Association
2020-01-08 Intervener's book of authorities, (Book Form), Completed on: 2020-01-08 British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
2020-01-08 Intervener's factum, (Book Form), Completed on: 2020-01-08 British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
2020-01-07 Intervener's book of authorities, (Book Form), Missing: Electronic Version (rec' 01/08/19), Proof of Service (rec' 01/08/19), Completed on: 2020-01-08 Association des avocats de la défense de Montréal
2020-01-07 Intervener's factum, (Book Form), Missing: Electronic Version (rec' 01/08/20), Proof of Service (rec' 01/08/20), Completed on: 2020-01-08 Association des avocats de la défense de Montréal
2020-01-06 Notice of appearance, (Letter Form), Alyssa Tomkins, Penelope Simons and Albert Brunet will appear before the court. Mrs. Tomkins will present oral arguments. Canadian Civil Liberties Association
2020-01-02 Notice of appearance, (Letter Form), Martin Villa and Niki Galanopoulos will appear before the court. Mr. Villa will present oral arguments. 9147-0732 Québec inc.
2019-12-30 Notice of appearance, (Letter Form), François Lacasse and Mathieu Stanton will appear before the court. Mr. Lacasse will present oral arguments. Director of Public Prosecutions
2019-12-23 Correspondence received from, (Letter Form), Counsel update. Attorney General of Ontario
2019-12-23 Notice of appearance, (Letter Form), Brandon Kain, Adam Goldenberg and Sébastien Cusson will appear before the court. Mr. Kain will present oral arguments. Canadian Constitution Foundation
2019-12-23 Notice of appearance, (Letter Form), Courtney Harris, Ellen Weis and Ravi Amarnath will appear before the court. Ms. Harris will present oral arguments. Attorney General of Ontario
2019-12-19 Notice of appearance, (Letter Form), Gib van Ert and Jessica Magonet will appear before the court. Mr. van Ert will present oral arguments. British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
2019-12-19 Notice of appearance, (Letter Form), Léon H. Moubayed, Sarah Gorguos and Guillaume Charlebois will appear before the court. Mr. Moubayed will present oral arguments. Association des avocats de la défense de Montréal
2019-12-19 Certificate of counsel (attesting to record), (Letter Form) 9147-0732 Québec inc.
2019-12-19 Respondent's record, (Book Form), Completed on: 2019-12-19 9147-0732 Québec inc.
2019-12-19 Respondent's book of authorities, (Book Form), Missing: Electronic copy (rec' 12/20/19), Completed on: 2019-12-23 9147-0732 Québec inc.
2019-12-19 Respondent's factum, (Book Form), Completed on: 2019-12-19 9147-0732 Québec inc.
2019-12-17 Notice of appearance, (Letter Form), Stéphanie Quirion-Cantin, Sylvain Leboeuf, Julie Dassylva and Anne-Sophie Blanchet-Gravel will appear before the court. Ms. Quirion-Cantin will present oral arguments. Attorney General of Quebec
2019-12-16 Notice of hearing sent to parties
2019-12-11 Appeal hearing scheduled, 2020-01-22,
The schedule for serving and filing the material is set as follows:

The notice of appeal shall be served and filed on or before August 30, 2019.

Any notice of constitutional question shall be served and filed on or before August 30, 2019.

Any attorney general intending to intervene under subrule 33(4) of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada shall serve and file a notice of intervention respecting constitutional question on or before September 27, 2019.

The appellants’ record, factum and book of authorities, if any, shall be served and filed on or before October 25, 2019.

Any person wishing to intervene in this appeal under Rule 55 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada shall serve and file a motion for leave to intervene on or before November 15, 2019.

The appellants and respondent shall serve and file their response(s), if any, to the motions for leave to intervene on or before November 25, 2019.

Replies to any responses to the motions for leave to intervene shall be served and filed on or before November 28, 2019.

Any intervener granted leave to intervene under Rule 59 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada shall serve and file its respective factum and book of authorities, if any, on or before January 8, 2020.

Any attorney general intervening in the appeal under Rule 33(4) of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada shall serve and file their factum and book of authorities, if any, on or before January 8, 2020.

The respondent’s record, factum and book of authorities, if any, shall be served and filed on or before December 20, 2019.

Judgment reserved
2019-12-04 Order on motion for leave to intervene, by KASIRER J.
2019-12-04 Decision on the motion for leave to intervene, Kas,
UPON APPLICATION by the Association des avocats de la défense de Montréal, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Constitution Foundation for leave to intervene in the above appeal;

AND THE MATERIAL FILED having been read;

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:

The motions for leave to intervene are granted and the said four (4) interveners shall be entitled to each serve and file a factum not to exceed ten (10) pages in length on or before January 8, 2020, at 12 p.m. EST.

The said four (4) interveners are each granted permission to present oral argument not exceeding five (5) minutes at the hearing of the appeal.

The interveners are not entitled to raise new issues or to adduce further evidence or otherwise to supplement the record of the parties.

Pursuant to Rule 59(1)(a) of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada, the interveners shall pay to the appellants and the respondent any additional disbursements resulting from their interventions.

IT IS HEREBY FURTHER ORDERED THAT:

The Director of Public Prosecutions and the Attorney General of Ontario are each granted permission to present oral argument not exceeding five (5) minutes at the hearing of the appeal.

Granted
2019-12-04 Submission of motion for leave to intervene, Kas
2019-11-25 Response to the motion for leave to intervene, (Letter Form), of Canadian Constitution Foundation, Completed on: 2019-11-25 9147-0732 Québec inc.
2019-11-22 Response to the motion for leave to intervene, (Letter Form), to the motion filed by BCCLA, Completed on: 2019-11-22 9147-0732 Québec inc.
2019-11-21 Response to the motion for leave to intervene, (Letter Form), of CCLA, CCLA and CCF, Completed on: 2019-11-21 Attorney General of Quebec
2019-11-21 Response to the motion for leave to intervene, (Letter Form), of AADM, Completed on: 2019-11-21 Attorney General of Quebec
2019-11-21 Response to the motion for leave to intervene, (Letter Form), to motion filed by CCLA
-Proof of service missing (received 2019-11-27)
-Electronic version missing (received 2019-11-27), Completed on: 2019-11-27 		9147-0732 Québec inc.
2019-11-15 Notice of name, (Letter Form) Canadian Constitution Foundation
2019-11-15 Certificate (on limitations to public access), (Letter Form), 23A Canadian Constitution Foundation
2019-11-15 Motion for leave to intervene, (Book Form), Completed on: 2019-11-15 Canadian Constitution Foundation
2019-11-15 Notice of name, (Letter Form) Canadian Civil Liberties Association
2019-11-15 Motion for leave to intervene, (Book Form),
Proof of service missing (received 2019-11-19), Completed on: 2019-11-20 		Canadian Civil Liberties Association
2019-11-14 Notice of name, (Letter Form) British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
2019-11-14 Motion for leave to intervene, (Book Form),
Proof of service missing (received 2019-11-18), Completed on: 2019-11-19 		British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
2019-11-07 Response to the motion for leave to intervene, (Letter Form), to the motion filed by AADM, Completed on: 2019-11-07 9147-0732 Québec inc.
2019-11-07 Notice of name, (Letter Form) Association des avocats de la défense de Montréal
2019-11-07 Motion for leave to intervene, (Book Form), Completed on: 2019-11-07 Association des avocats de la défense de Montréal
2019-10-24 Certificate of counsel (attesting to record), (Letter Form) Attorney General of Quebec
2019-10-24 Appellant's record, (Book Form), (2 volumes), Completed on: 2019-10-24 Attorney General of Quebec
2019-10-24 Appellant's book of authorities, (Book Form), Completed on: 2019-10-24 Attorney General of Quebec
2019-10-24 Appellant's factum, (Book Form), Completed on: 2019-10-24 Attorney General of Quebec
2019-10-17 Order on miscellaneous motion, by BROWN J.
2019-10-17 Decision on miscellaneous motion, Br,
UPON APPLICATION by the appellants for an order setting aside the respondent’s notice of constitutional question dated August 30, 2019;
AND THE MATERIAL FILED having been read;
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:
The motion is dismissed.

Dismissed
2019-10-17 Submission of miscellaneous motion, Br
2019-09-26 Notice of intervention respecting a constitutional question, (Letter Form), Completed on: 2019-09-26 Attorney General of Ontario
2019-09-19 Correspondence received from, Pierre Landry by email, re: will not be filing a reply Attorney General of Quebec
2019-09-18 Response to miscellaneous motion, (Book Form), Completed on: 2019-09-18 9147-0732 Québec inc.
2019-09-10 Response to miscellaneous motion, (Letter Form), Completed on: 2019-09-10 Director of Public Prosecutions
2019-09-09 Notice of miscellaneous motion, (Letter Form), requesting withdrawal of notice of constitutional questions, Completed on: 2019-09-09 Attorney General of Quebec
2019-09-09 Notice of intervention respecting a constitutional question, (Letter Form), Completed on: 2019-09-09 Director of Public Prosecutions
2019-08-30 Notice of constitutional question(s), Completed on: 2019-08-30 9147-0732 Québec inc.
2019-08-29 Notice of appeal, (Letter Form), Completed on: 2019-08-29 Attorney General of Quebec
2019-08-23 Letter advising the parties of tentative hearing date and filing deadlines (Leave granted)
2019-07-26 Copy of formal judgment sent to Registrar of the Court of Appeal and all parties
2019-07-26 Judgment on leave sent to the parties
2019-07-25 Judgment of the Court on the application for leave to appeal, The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal of Quebec (Québec), Number 200-10-003462-178, 2019 QCCA 373, dated March 4, 2019, is granted.

The schedule for serving and filing materials will be set by the Registrar.

Granted
2019-06-24 All materials on application for leave submitted to the Judges, for consideration by the Court
2019-06-03 Applicant's reply to respondent's argument, (Letter Form), Completed on: 2019-06-03 Attorney General of Quebec
2019-05-27 Certificate (on limitations to public access), (Letter Form) 9147-0732 Québec inc.
2019-05-27 Notice of name, (Letter Form) 9147-0732 Québec inc.
2019-05-27 Respondent's response on the application for leave to appeal, (Book Form), Completed on: 2019-05-27 9147-0732 Québec inc.
2019-05-07 Letter acknowledging receipt of a complete application for leave to appeal, FILE OPENED 2019/05/07
2019-05-03 Certificate (on limitations to public access), (Letter Form) Attorney General of Quebec
2019-05-03 Notice of name, (Letter Form) Attorney General of Quebec
2019-05-03 Application for leave to appeal, (Book Form), Completed on: 2019-05-03 Attorney General of Quebec

Parties

Please note that in the case of closed files, the “Status” column reflects the status of the parties at the time of the proceedings. For more information about the proceedings and about the dates when the file was open, please consult the docket of the case in question.

Main parties

Main parties - Appellants
Name Role Status
Attorney General of Quebec Appellant Active
Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions Appellant Active

v.

Main parties - Respondents
Name Role Status
9147-0732 Québec inc. Respondent Active

Other parties

Other parties
Name Role Status
Director of Public Prosecutions Intervener Active
Attorney General of Ontario Intervener Active
Association des avocats de la défense de Montréal Intervener Active
British Columbia Civil Liberties Association Intervener Active
Canadian Civil Liberties Association Intervener Active
Canadian Constitution Foundation Intervener Active

Counsel

Party: Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions

Counsel
Laura Élisabeth Trempe
Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales du Québec
Complexe Jules-Dallaire, Tour 1
2828, boul. Laurier, bureau 500
Québec, Quebec
G1V 0B9
Telephone: (418) 643-9059 Ext: 21565
FAX: (418) 646-5412
Email: laura-elisabeth.trempe@dpcp.gouv.qc.ca
Agent
Isabelle Bouchard
Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales du Québec
17, rue Laurier
Bureau 1.230
Gatineau, Quebec
J8X 4C1
Telephone: (819) 776-8111 Ext: 60442
FAX: (819) 772-3986
Email: isabelle.bouchard@dpcp.gouv.qc.ca

Party: Attorney General of Quebec

Counsel
Stéphanie Quirion-Cantin
Anne-Sohpie Blanchet-Gravel
Sylvain Leboeuf
Julie Dassylva
Procureur général du Québec
300, boul. Jean-Lesage
Bureau 1.03
Québec, Quebec
G1K 8K6
Telephone: (418) 649-3524 Ext: 42612
FAX: (418) 646-1656
Email: stephanie.quirion-cantin@justice.gouv.qc.ca
Agent
Pierre Landry
Noël et Associés, s.e.n.c.r.l.
111, rue Champlain
Gatineau, Quebec
J8X 3R1
Telephone: (819) 503-2178
FAX: (819) 771-5397
Email: p.landry@noelassocies.com

Party: 9147-0732 Québec inc.

Counsel
Martin Villa
Services juridiques de l'APCHQ inc.
1720, boul. Père-Lelièvre
Bureau 100
Québec, Quebec
G1M 3J6
Telephone: (418) 688-1656 Ext: 247
FAX: (418) 682-3304
Email: martin.villa@apchq.com
Agent
Marie-France Major
Supreme Advocacy LLP
100- 340 Gilmour Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 0R3
Telephone: (613) 695-8855 Ext: 102
FAX: (613) 695-8580
Email: mfmajor@supremeadvocacy.ca

Party: Director of Public Prosecutions

Counsel
François Lacasse
Mathieu Stanton
Directeur des poursuites pénales du Canada
160, rue Elgin
12ième étage
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0H8
Telephone: (613) 957-4770
FAX: (613) 941-7865
Email: francois.lacasse@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca

Party: Attorney General of Ontario

Counsel
Courtney Harris
Ravi Amarnath
Ellen Weis
Attorney General of Ontario
Constitutional Branch
720 Bay Street, 4th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 2S9
Telephone: (416) 455-5186
FAX: (416) 326-4015
Email: courtney.harris@ontario.ca
Agent
Nadia Effendi
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
World Exchange Plaza
100 Queen Street, suite 1300
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 1J9
Telephone: (613) 787-3562
FAX: (613) 230-8842
Email: neffendi@blg.com

Party: Association des avocats de la défense de Montréal

Counsel
Léon H. Moubayed
Sarah Gorguos
Guillaume Charlebois
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
1501 McGill College Avenue
Montréal, Quebec
H3A 3N9
Telephone: (514) 841-6461
FAX: (514) 841-6499
Email: lmoubayed@dwpv.com
Agent
Guy Régimbald
Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP
160 Elgin Street
Suite 2600
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 1C3
Telephone: (613) 786-0197
FAX: (613) 563-9869
Email: guy.regimbald@gowlingwlg.com

Party: British Columbia Civil Liberties Association

Counsel
Gib van Ert
Jessica Magonet
Gib Van Ert Law
148 Third Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
K1S 2K1
Telephone: (613) 408-4297
FAX: (613) 651-0304
Email: gib@gibvanertlaw.com

Party: Canadian Civil Liberties Association

Counsel
Alyssa Tomkins
Albert Brunet
Penelope Simons
CazaSaikaley LLP
350 - 220 avenue Laurier Ouest
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5Z9
Telephone: (613) 564-8269
FAX: (613) 565-2087
Email: atomkins@plaideurs.ca

Party: Canadian Constitution Foundation

Counsel
Brandon Kain
Adam Goldenberg
Sébastien Cusson
McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Suite 5300
Toronto Dominion Bank Tower
Toronto, Ontario
M5K 1E6
Telephone: (416) 601-7821
FAX: (416) 868-0673
Email: bkain@mccarthy.ca
Agent
Darius Bossé
Juristes Power
130, rue Albert
bureau 1103
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5G4
Telephone: (613) 702-5566
FAX: (613) 702-5566
Email: DBosse@juristespower.ca

Summary

Keywords

Charter of Rights - Cruel and unusual treatment or punishment - Application of Charter rights to legal persons - Statement of offence issued against business corporation for carrying out construction work as contractor without holding current licence - Provincial building legislation providing for mandatory minimum fine of $30,843 - Whether legal person can benefit from protection of section 12 of Charter - Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, s. 12 - Building Act, CQLR, c. B 1.1, ss. 46, 197.1

Summary

Case summaries are prepared by the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada (Law Branch). Please note that summaries are not provided to the Judges of the Court. They are placed on the Court file and website for information purposes only.

The respondent, a private company, was issued a statement of offence under the Quebec Building Act for carrying out certain construction work as a contractor without holding a current licence for that purpose. Under s. 197.1 of the Act, the penalty for such an offence is a mandatory fine for a minimum amount that varies depending on who the offender is, that is, whether the offender is a natural person or a legal person. The respondent filed a notice of intention to question the constitutionality of the fine provided for in s. 197.1, arguing that the fine violated its right to be protected against “any cruel and unusual treatment or punishment” under s. 12 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

At trial, the Court of Québec held that it was not necessary to rule on the issue of the application of s. 12 of the Charter to legal persons, because the minimum fine at issue was at any rate not cruel and unusual. The respondent was found guilty, and a fine of $30,843 was imposed. On appeal, the Quebec Superior Court affirmed that decision and added that legal persons such as the respondent could not benefit from the protection of s. 12 of the Charter. A majority of the Quebec Court of Appeal set aside the decisions of the lower courts and held that s. 12 of the Charter can in fact apply to legal persons. The matter was returned to the trial court to rule on the specific issue of the fine provided for in s. 197.1 of the Act.

Lower court rulings

May 30, 2016
Court of Quebec

2016 QCCQ 5931, 400-61-068532-153

Respondent 9147 0732 Québec Inc. found guilty
March 7, 2017
Court of Quebec

2017 QCCQ 1632, 400-61-068532-153

Sentence imposed — fine of $30,843
Notice of intention to question constitutionality of sentence — dismissed
November 13, 2017
Superior Court of Quebec

2017 QCCS 5240, 400-36-000627-170

Appeal by respondent 9147 0732 Québec Inc. — dismissed
March 4, 2019
Court of Appeal of Quebec (Québec)

200-10-003462-178, 2019 QCCA 373

Appeal by respondent 9147 0732 Québec Inc. — allowed

Memorandums of argument on application for leave to appeal

The memorandums of argument on an application for leave to appeal will be posted here 30 days after leave to appeal has been granted unless they contain personal information, information that is subject to a publication ban, or any other information that is not part of the public record. You may also obtain copies of the memorandum by filing out the Request for Court records form or by contacting the Court’s Records Centre either by email at records-dossiers@scc-csc.ca or by telephone at 613‑996‑7933 or at 1‑888‑551‑1185.

If you have questions about a memorandum of argument or want to use a memorandum of argument, please contact the author of the memorandum of argument directly. Their name appears at the end of the memorandum of argument. The contact information for counsel is found in the “Counsel” tab of this page.

Downloadable PDFs

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Factums on appeal

The factums of the appellant, the respondent and the intervener will be posted here at least 2 weeks before the hearing unless they contain personal information, information that is subject to a publication ban, or any other information that is not part of the public record. You may also obtain copies of factums by filling out the Request for Court records form or by contacting the Court’s Records Centre either by email at records-dossiers@scc-csc.ca or by telephone at 613‑996‑7933 or at 1‑888‑551‑1185.

If you have questions about a factum or want permission to use a factum, please contact the author of the factum directly. Their contact information appears on the first page of each factum.

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Date modified: 2025-02-27