Supreme Court of Canada rejects appeals in Quebec pensions case, upholding ruling that parts of 2014 aw are unconstitutional
May 16, 2024
The Supreme Court of Canada has declined leave to both sides seeking to appeal a ruling that declared parts of a Quebec pensions law unconstitutional.
Passed back in 2014, Bill 15 restructured defined benefit plans in Quebec’s municipal sector in an attempt to tackle significant deficits, imposing a cost-sharing formula for plans and putting an end to the indexation of benefits.
After several unions objected that the changes infringed on their members’ Charter-protected freedom of association rights, success was divided at trial, where a judge ruled that the law was unconstitutional only with respect to plan members who had already retired. The amendments were justified for active members, the decision added.
In 2023, Quebec’s Court of Appeal reached the same result as the trial judge, prompting both the provincial government and the municipal pensions to seek a further appeal at the nation’s top court. However, the Supreme Court of Canada’s leave denial brings the decade-long fight to an end.
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