Docket: A-266-14
Citation: 2015 FCA 174
CORAM:
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STRATAS J.A.
NEAR J.A.
RENNIE J.A.
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BETWEEN:
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PUBLIC SERVICE
ALLIANCE OF CANADA
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Appellant
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and
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ATTORNEY
GENERAL OF CANADA, TREASURY BOARD OF CANADA,
NAV CANADA
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Respondents
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REASONS FOR
JUDGMENT
NEAR J.A.
I.
Introduction
[1]
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)
appeals from the April 28, 2014 judgment of the Federal Court (per Justice
Kane): 2014 FC 393.
[2]
PSAC had applied to the Federal Court for
judicial review of the September 5, 2012 decision of the Canadian Human Rights
Commission. In this decision, the Commission dismissed PSAC’s complaint alleging
that the respondents, Treasury Board of Canada and NAV Canada (NAV) had
discriminated, and were discriminating, against NAV’s female employees contrary
to sections 7, 10, and 11 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, R.S.C. 1985
c. H-6 (CHRA).
[3]
The Federal Court dismissed PSAC’s application.
[4]
PSAC now appeals to this Court. Although the
decisions below concern numerous parties, this appeal is restricted to the
complaint made on behalf of NAV employees.
[5]
For the reasons that follow, I would allow the
appeal, and allow PSAC’s application for judicial review in part. I would remit
the complaint against NAV under section 11 of the CHRA to the Commission for
further proceedings under the Act.
II.
Background
A.
The Legislative Scheme
[6]
Individuals may file a complaint with the
Commission if they have reasonable grounds to believe that a
federally-regulated body has engaged or is engaging in a discriminatory
practice (CHRA, ss. 2 and 40). Sections 5 to 14.1 of the CHRA define what
constitutes a “discriminatory practice” (CHRA,
s. 39).
[7]
Sections 7 to 11 of the CHRA set out
discriminatory practices within the employment context. Sections 7, 10, and 11
are the sections of the Act at issue in this appeal.
[8]
Sections 7 and 10 define certain, more general, employment
practices as discriminatory:
7. It is a discriminatory practice,
directly or indirectly,
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7.
Constitue un acte discriminatoire, s’il est fondé sur un motif de distinction
illicite, le fait, par des moyens directs ou indirects :
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(a) to refuse to employ or continue to employ any
individual, or
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a) de
refuser d’employer ou de continuer d’employer un individu;
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(b) in the course of employment, to differentiate adversely
in relation to an employee,
on a prohibited ground of discrimination.
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b) de
le défavoriser en cours d’emploi.
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10. It is a discriminatory practice
for an employer, employee organization or employer organization
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10.
Constitue un acte discriminatoire, s’il est fondé sur un motif de distinction
illicite et s’il est susceptible d’annihiler les chances d’emploi ou
d’avancement d’un individu ou d’une catégorie d’individus, le fait, pour
l’employeur, l’association patronale ou l’organisation syndicale :
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(a) to establish or pursue a policy or practice, or
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a) de
fixer ou d’appliquer des lignes de conduite;
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(b) to enter into an agreement affecting recruitment,
referral, hiring, promotion, training, apprenticeship, transfer or any other
matter relating to employment or prospective employment,
that
deprives or tends to deprive an individual or class of individuals of any
employment opportunities on a prohibited ground of discrimination.
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b) de
conclure des ententes touchant le recrutement, les mises en rapport,
l’engagement, les promotions, la formation, l’apprentissage, les mutations ou
tout autre aspect d’un emploi présent ou éventuel.
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[9]
These sections establish that it is a
discriminatory practice to treat employees adversely based on a prohibited
ground of discrimination, or to establish policies or practices that tend to
deprive an individual or class of individuals of employment opportunities based
on a prohibited ground. Subsection 3(1) of the CHRA lists the prohibited
grounds of discrimination for the purposes of the Act; this list includes
gender.
[10]
Section 11 of the CHRA specifically addresses
wage discrimination. Subsection 11(1) states that establishing and maintaining
unequal wages between male and female employees performing work of equal value
constitutes a discriminatory practice:
11. (1) It is a discriminatory
practice for an employer to establish or maintain differences in wages
between male and female employees employed in the same establishment who are
performing work of equal value.
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11. (1) Constitue un acte discriminatoire le fait
pour l’employeur d’instaurer ou de pratiquer la disparité salariale entre les
hommes et les femmes qui exécutent, dans le même établissement, des fonctions
équivalentes.
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[11]
The Commission must deal with any complaint
filed with it (CHRA, s. 41(1)). This usually begins with an investigation under
section 43 of the CHRA. In certain circumstances, however, the Commission is
entitled to dismiss a complaint before proceeding to an investigation. These circumstances
are listed in subsection 41(1) of the CHRA:
41. (1) Subject to section 40, the
Commission shall deal with any complaint filed with it unless in respect of
that complaint it appears to the Commission that
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41. (1) Sous
réserve de l’article 40, la Commission statue sur toute plainte dont elle est
saisie à moins qu’elle estime celle-ci irrecevable pour un des motifs suivants
:
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(a) the alleged victim of the discriminatory practice to
which the complaint relates ought to exhaust grievance or review procedures
otherwise reasonably available;
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a) la victime
présumée de l’acte discriminatoire devrait épuiser d’abord les recours
internes ou les procédures d’appel ou de règlement des griefs qui lui sont
normalement ouverts;
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(b) the complaint is one that could more appropriately be
dealt with, initially or completely, according to a procedure provided for
under an Act of Parliament other than this Act;
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b) la plainte
pourrait avantageusement être instruite, dans un premier temps ou à toutes
les étapes, selon des procédures prévues par une autre loi fédérale;
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(c) the complaint is beyond the jurisdiction of the
Commission;
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c) la plainte
n’est pas de sa compétence;
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(d) the complaint is trivial, frivolous, vexatious or made
in bad faith; or
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d) la plainte
est frivole, vexatoire ou entachée de mauvaise foi;
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(e)
the complaint is based on acts or omissions the last of which occurred more
than one year, or such longer period of time as the Commission considers
appropriate in the circumstances, before receipt of the complaint.
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e) la plainte
a été déposée après l’expiration d’un délai d’un an après le dernier des
faits sur lesquels elle est fondée, ou de tout délai supérieur que la
Commission estime indiqué dans les circonstances.
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[12]
The Commission may dismiss a complaint if: the complainant
ought to exhaust alternative procedures; the complaint could be more
appropriately dealt with in another forum; the complaint is trivial, vexatious,
or in bad faith; or the complaint is out of time. The Commission may also dismiss
a complaint for being outside of its jurisdiction. This final ground was the
basis for the Commission’s decision, the subject of this appeal.
B.
The Facts Underlying the Complaint
[13]
The complaint at issue in this appeal concerns
events dating back three decades.
[14]
In 1984, PSAC filed a complaint with the
Commission alleging that Treasury Board was engaging in wage discrimination
contrary to section 11 of the CHRA.
[15]
As a result of this complaint, a Joint
Union-Management Initiative (JUMI) agreed to conduct a pay equity study within
the core public administration, and to develop and carry out an action plan in
response to the results of this study. The study evaluated job value and wage
rates among female-dominated occupational groups, and compared them to job
value and wage rates among male-dominated occupational groups.
[16]
The results of the job evaluations that were
conducted under the JUMI study were provided to the Commission, who was
participating in the study as an observer. However, the JUMI eventually broke
down. The action plan agreed to by the JUMI Committee, which called for
system-wide correction of gender-based wage disparities, was never completed. Instead,
in early 1990, the government unilaterally provided three occupational groups
with equalization payments calculated using the JUMI job evaluation results. That
same year, PSAC filed a separate complaint with the Commission on behalf of six
female-dominated occupational groups that were surveyed during the JUMI study.
[17]
The Commission ultimately referred the issue of possible
wage discrimination within the core public administration – including PSAC’s
1984 and 1990 complaints – to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal for
determination.
[18]
In 1998, the Tribunal determined that Treasury
Board had breached section 11 of the CHRA. The Tribunal ordered Treasury Board
to retroactively adjust the wages of certain occupational groups in the core
public administration (the Tribunal Order).
[19]
In 1999, PSAC and Treasury Board entered into a
pay equity settlement, approved by the Tribunal by means of a consent order. This
settlement set out the precise wage gap calculations and entitlement by occupational
group and level, but applied only to certain groups of Treasury Board
employees. It did not apply to employees of separate agencies, Crown
corporations, or other organizations not listed in what are now Schedules I and
IV to the Financial Administration Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-11.
[20]
The settlement did not apply to NAV. NAV is a
private, non-share capital corporation legislatively constituted by the Civil
Air Navigation Services Commercialization Act, S.C. 1996, c. 20. NAV became
responsible for Canada’s civil air navigation services in place of Transport
Canada on November 1, 1996. An agreement dated April 1, 1996 details this
transfer of responsibility, including the transfer of employees from the core
public administration to the corporation (the Transfer Agreement).
[21]
The only compensation that NAV employees
received in connection with the Tribunal Order was retroactive pay for the
period before NAV was carved out from the core public administration. In other
words, NAV employees only received compensation for the period during which
they were still Transport Canada (i.e. Treasury Board) employees.
C.
The Complaint
[22]
On January 9, 2002, PSAC filed the complaint at
issue in this appeal. PSAC complained that Treasury Board, or alternatively, NAV
– as an individual respondent or as a co-respondent with Treasury Board – had:
- discriminated against female NAV employees on the basis of
gender by not extending to them pay equity adjustments, contrary to
sections 7 and 10 of the CHRA; and
- discriminated, and continued to discriminate, against female
NAV employees by maintaining differences in wages between employees
performing predominantly female work and employees performing
predominantly male work of equal value in the same establishment, contrary
to section 11 of the CHRA.
D.
The Commission’s Decision
[23]
The Commission determined that all aspects of PSAC’s
complaint fell outside of its jurisdiction. Accordingly, the Commission dismissed
the complaint under paragraph 41(1)(c) of the CHRA.
[24]
I will discuss the Commission’s decision in more
detail below. However, in brief, the Commission found that PSAC’s allegations
did not contain all of the elements necessary to constitute valid complaints
under sections 7, 10, or 11 of the CHRA. It determined that the allegations against
Treasury Board could not proceed because Treasury Board was not an employer or
co-employer of NAV employees at the relevant time. The Commission also
determined that the allegations against NAV individually must fail because they
were lacking the necessary links to prohibited acts of discrimination.
E.
Decision of the Federal Court
[25]
The Federal Court dismissed PSAC’s application
for judicial review of the Commission’s decision. The Federal Court Judge
determined that it was reasonable for the Commission to have dismissed PSAC’s
complaint.
III.
Standard of Review
[26]
This Court must determine whether the Federal
Court correctly identified and properly applied the standard of review to the
Commission’s decision (Agraira v. Canada (Public Safety and Emergency
Preparedness), 2013 SCC 36 at para. 47, [2013] 2 S.C.R. 559 [Agraira]).
[27]
The Federal Court Judge correctly identified the
standard of review as reasonableness (Federal Court Decision, at para. 46).
[28]
Reasonableness is presumed to be the standard of
review applicable to the Commission’s decision, which involved the application
of the legal standards set out in the CHRA – its home statute – to a set of
facts (Dunsmuir v. New Brunswick, 2008 SCC 9 at paras. 53-54, [2008] 1
S.C.R. 190 [Dunsmuir]; Alberta (Information and Privacy Commissioner)
v. Alberta Teachers' Association, 2011 SCC 61 at para. 30, [2011] 3 S.C.R.
654; Canada (Attorney General) v. Canadian Human Rights Commission, 2013
FCA 75 at para. 10, 444 N.R. 120).
[29]
Moreover, this Court has consistently applied
the standard of reasonableness to decisions of the Commission under subsection
41(1), except in circumstances where correctness review was explicitly required
under Dunsmuir (see, for example, Khaper v. Air Canada, 2015 FCA
99 at para. 16, [2015] F.C.J. No. 491 (QL); Exeter v. Canada (Attorney
General), 2012 FCA 119 at para. 6, [2012] F.C.J. No. 489 (QL); Keith v.
Canada (Correctional Service), 2012 FCA 117 at para. 53, 431 N.R. 121). In
this case, nothing in the Commission’s decision requires correctness review.
[30]
In order to determine whether the Judge properly
applied the reasonableness standard, this Court must “step
into the shoes” of the Federal Court and conduct a reasonableness review
itself (Agraira at para. 46).
IV.
Issues
[31]
This Court must determine:
•
Was it reasonable for the Commission to dismiss
the complaints against Treasury Board as a co-employer with NAV?
•
Was it reasonable for the Commission to dismiss
the sections 7 and 10 complaint against NAV as an individual employer?
•
Was it reasonable for the Commission to dismiss
the section 11 complaint against NAV as an individual employer?
V.
Analysis
A.
The Role of the Commission at the Section 41
Stage
[32]
In order to properly assess the reasonableness
of the Commission’s decision, a greater understanding of the Commission’s role
at the pre-investigation stage is required.
[33]
The jurisprudence has established that the
Commission may only dismiss complaints under subsection 41(1) in “plain and obvious” cases (Canada Post Corp. v.
Canada (Canadian Human Rights Commission), 130 F.T.R. 241, [1997] F.C.J.
No. 578 (QL) at para. 3, (T.D.), aff’d 245 N.R. 397, [1999] F.C.J. No. 705 (QL)
(C.A.)).
[34]
Although the Commission must make its decisions
according to the “plain and obvious” standard,
the language of subsection 41(1) affords the Commission some discretion. The
provision states that the Commission shall deal with the complaint unless “it appears to the Commission” that one of the listed
grounds applies. This Court has emphasized that screening under subsection
41(1) is a duty imposed upon the Commission by law, and that the Commission
must “do its work diligently”, even at this
preliminary stage (Canada Post Corp. v. Barrette, [2000] 4 F.C. 145 at
para. 25, [2000] F.C.J. No. 539 (QL) (C.A.)).
[35]
This has led to some confusion about the
Commission’s role at the pre-investigation stage. In particular, confusion appears
to exist about whether the Commission may assess evidence when making decisions
under subsection 41(1).
[36]
This Court recently addressed this issue in
another case involving a decision of the Commission under paragraph 41(1)(c):
McIlvenna v. Bank of Nova Scotia, 2014 FCA 203, 466 N.R. 195 [McIlvenna
FCA], rev’g 2013 FC 678 [McIlvenna FC].
[37]
In McIlvenna, the Commission had dismissed
a complaint as being outside of its jurisdiction for failing to disclose a link
to a prohibited ground of discrimination (at para. 7, McIlvenna FCA; at
para. 1, McIlvenna FC). This Court found the Commission’s decision to be
unreasonable (McIlvenna FCA, at paras. 14-19). This was because the
Commission had resolved a live contest going to the merits of the complaint by
weighing evidence. This Court held that such evidentiary weighing is not part
of the Commission’s task where such a live dispute exists. This Court
distinguished such disputes from other decisions the Commission might make
under subsection 41(1), such as whether a complaint appears to be frivolous or
vexatious.
[38]
In this case, the Commission determined that
PSAC’s complaint fell outside of its jurisdiction because the allegations contained
within it did not have all of the elements necessary to make out claims of
discrimination under sections 7, 10, or 11 of the CHRA. Applying this Court’s
holding from McIlvenna, for its decision to be reasonable, the
Commission must have reached its conclusions without resolving factual disputes
going to the merits of the complaint.
B.
Was it reasonable for the Commission to dismiss
the complaints against Treasury Board as a co-employer with NAV?
[39]
The Commission determined that it was plain and
obvious that Treasury Board was not a co-employer with NAV, and had not been
since at least November 1, 1996, when employees were transferred from the
public service to the corporation.
[40]
The Commission reached this conclusion based
upon the Transfer Agreement and the fact that the legal regime relating to
government financial accountability in no way applies to NAV: the corporation
is neither subject to the Financial Administration Act, nor reliant on
appropriations from Parliament.
[41]
The Commission rejected PSAC’s argument that an
extensive and complex evidentiary record was required to determine whether NAV
was a co-employer with Treasury Board. The Commission was satisfied that it had
before it sufficient information to make this determination at the section 41
stage.
[42]
In my view, the Commission’s conclusion on this
issue was reasonable.
[43]
The question for this Court is whether the
Commission’s decision falls within the range of possible, acceptable outcomes,
having regard to the decision as a whole (Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses’ Union
v. Newfoundland and Labrador (Treasury Board), 2011 SCC 62, [2011] 3 S.C.R.
708). In my view, it does.
[44]
The Commission based its decision upon
uncontested facts and law – namely, the relevant legislation and the Transfer
Agreement. This basis is sufficient to support the Commission’s decision.
[45]
As the Commission noted in its decision, the
legal regime relating to government financial accountability does not apply to
NAV.
[46]
In addition, section 2 of the Public Service
Labour Relations Act, S.C. 2003, c. 22 defines “employer”
as being Treasury Board “in the case of a department
named in Schedule I to the Financial Administration Act or another
portion of the federal public administration named in Schedule IV to that Act”.
Moreover, section 8 of the Air Navigation Services Commercialization Act establishes
that NAV is not an agent of the Crown, and section 68 of that Act states that
the Crown ceased to be responsible for the terms and conditions of employment
at NAV as of the transfer date.
[47]
The Commission also had before it relevant
excerpts from the Transfer Agreement, Article 3.01.06 of which stipulates that
NAV is solely responsible for the payment of employment claims arising from NAV
employees (Appeal Book Vol. I, p. 244).
[48]
PSAC submits that the Commission should not have
decided whether Treasury Board was a co-employer at the section 41 stage,
because doing so requires considering both factual and legal arguments. In
support, PSAC cites Canada (Attorney General) v. Mohawks of the Bay of
Quinte First Nation, 2012 FC 105 at para. 43, [2012] F.C.J. No. 121 (QL).
PSAC further submits that, even if the Commission were permitted to make such a
determination at the section 41 stage, the Commission’s decision is
unreasonable for failing to identify or apply the legal test for determining
the employer in a pay equity complaint, that from Reid v. Vancouver Police
Board, 2005 BCCA 418, [2005] B.C.J. No. 1832 (QL) [Reid].
[49]
I do not accept these arguments. Making a
finding on this issue – determining the employer for the purposes of a human
rights complaint – required the Commission to apply a legal standard to a set
of facts in an area in which it has specialized expertise. Such an exercise is part
of the Commission’s mandate at the section 41 stage, so long as the Commission
does not engage in evidentiary weighing contrary to McIlvenna. The
Commission’s role is to determine whether the alleged facts, taken as true,
give rise to a sustainable complaint.
[50]
Before making its decision, the Commission
considered the parties’ submissions, as well as the report prepared by its
early resolution staff that explicitly referenced Reid, above. Contrary
to PSAC’s assertion, this Court must presume that the Commission charged itself
on the test from Reid because the Commission considered a report that
referenced this test. Because such reports are prepared for the Commission, the
staff completing them are considered to be an extension of the Commission (Sketchley
v. Canada (Attorney General), 2005 FCA 404 at para. 37, [2006] 3 F.C.R. 392).
Given that the Commission located the appropriate law, this Court must defer to
the Commission’s application of this legal standard to the uncontested facts
before it, so long as the result is supportable on the record.
[51]
The Commission had sufficient information before
it to come to the legal conclusion that Treasury Board was plainly and
obviously not a co-employer for the purposes of PSAC’s complaint. The
Commission did not need to weigh or assess evidence to reach this conclusion. I
would therefore not interfere with this decision.
C.
Was it reasonable for the Commission to dismiss
the sections 7 and 10 complaint against NAV as an individual employer?
[52]
After concluding that Treasury Board was not a
co-employer with NAV, the Commission determined that PSAC’s sections 7 and 10
complaint could not continue against NAV as an individual employer.
[53]
The Commission recognized that the
discriminatory practice that PSAC had alleged in its sections 7 and 10
complaint appeared to be broader than the practice of wage discrimination
described in section 11 of the CHRA. The discriminatory practice that PSAC had
alleged was NAV’s failure to adjust wages already found to be discriminatory. The
Commission concluded, however, that there were no reasonable grounds to support
a finding that this practice arose during the relevant time period.
[54]
The Commission found it to be plain and obvious
that, in 1996, when Transport Canada employees became NAV employees, the wages
of employees in female-dominated occupational groups had not yet been found to
be discriminatory. The Commission also found it to be plain and obvious that,
in 1998, when the finding of wage discrimination within the public service was
made, NAV was a separate employer with no legal obligation to apply the
Tribunal Order.
[55]
The Commission stated that NAV must be under some
legal obligation to address the Tribunal Order for PSAC’s sections 7 and 10 complaint
to have reasonable grounds. The Commission determined that no such legal obligation
existed since NAV was not a co-employer with Treasury Board, and was not a
party to the Tribunal Order. As such, without any other basis, the complaint
lacked reasonable grounds.
[56]
PSAC submits that its complaint under sections 7
and 10 is not that the Tribunal Order was legally binding on NAV. Rather, PSAC
argues the Tribunal Order constitutes the factual basis for the complaint,
which is that NAV failed to rectify a classification and wage structure it knew
to be discriminatory. The allegation, simply put, is that the Tribunal Order
said that wage discrimination was present in NAV’s workplace, and the failure
to address this situation is a violation of sections 7 and 10 of the CHRA.
[57]
PSAC argues that the factual and legal basis for
its allegation is the same whether or not Treasury Board is listed as a
co-respondent. PSAC also submits that, contrary to the Judge’s finding (at
paragraph 110, Federal Court Decision), it did provide evidence – a letter from
counsel for NAV – indicating that NAV was aware that the classification and
wage structure that it had inherited from Treasury Board was discriminatory.
[58]
Again, I cannot accept PSAC’s arguments.
[59]
A fair reading of the Commission’s reasons does
not lead to the conclusion that the Commission misinterpreted PSAC’s sections 7
and 10 complaint as being that the Tribunal Order was binding per se on
NAV. Rather, the Commission decided that the allegations put forward by PSAC based
upon the Tribunal Order could not form the basis of a complaint under sections
7 and 10 of the CHRA against NAV as an individual employer. Given the legal nature
of this decision, whether or not PSAC tendered evidence to support its factual
allegations is not relevant to the reasonableness of the Commission’s decision.
[60]
Turning now to that question, it is my view that
the Commission’s decision was reasonable.
[61]
As NAV indicated in its submissions, the
Commission implicitly decided that an employer is not obliged under the CHRA to
address wage rates found to be discriminatory in another establishment. This decision
is one of statutory interpretation. In order to reach its ultimate conclusion
on this issue, the Commission had to interpret the CHRA to determine what
constitutes a “discriminatory practice” under
sections 7 and 10.
[62]
The Commission determined that failing to
address wage rates already found to be discriminatory may constitute a
discriminatory practice under sections 7 and 10, separate from the practice of
wage discrimination itself, which is considered under section 11. However, the
Commission concluded that this was only possible where the employer impugned in
the finding of wage discrimination and the employer allegedly failing to
address this discrimination are the same. Applying this interpretation to the
facts that PSAC had alleged, the Commission determined that the sections 7 and
10 complaint against NAV as an individual employer was not sustainable. This,
in my view, was reasonable.
[63]
The Commission’s interpretation is consistent
with the broader scheme of the CHRA. Subsection 11(1) of the Act, reproduced
above at paragraph 10, clearly indicates that a finding of wage discrimination
must be based upon a comparison of employees from within the same establishment.
This is further reinforced by the Equal Wages Guidelines, 1986, S.O.R./86-1082,
the guidelines established under the CHRA concerning the application of section
11. Among other things, the Equal Wages Guidelines set out how the value
of work of employees within the same establishment may be assessed and define
the term “employees of an establishment” (ss. 9
and 10, respectively).
[64]
Accordingly, a wage cannot be labelled “discriminatory” in the abstract. A finding of wage
discrimination under section 11 of the CHRA is necessarily tied to the
establishment from which employees’ wages were compared. This is the reason NAV
was not a party to the Tribunal Order. This explanation also supports the reasonableness
of the Commission’s decision that PSAC’s sections 7 and 10 lacked reasonable
grounds because NAV was under no legal obligation to address the Tribunal
Order. The Commission reasonably concluded that PSAC was required to do more
than simply assert such an obligation in order for its claim under these
sections to be sustainable. PSAC has not referred the Court to any authority
that demonstrates why this conclusion falls outside the range of possible,
acceptable outcomes.
[65]
I would therefore decline to interfere with the
Commission’s decision on this ground.
D.
Was it reasonable for the Commission to dismiss
the section 11 complaint against NAV as an individual employer?
[66]
Finally, the Commission determined that the
section 11 complaint against NAV as an individual employer fell outside of its
jurisdiction because it lacked reasonable grounds, one of the prerequisites for
a section 11 complaint.
[67]
The Commission noted that a complaint under
section 11 of the CHRA must meet certain requirements. The complaint must name
female-predominant and male-predominant jobs within the same establishment for
which the named employer is responsible. It must also contain reasonable
grounds for believing that comparing the value of work and the wages of these
groups would suggest discrimination.
[68]
The Commission concluded:
…[I]t is difficult to see how the basis of
the [Tribunal Order], specifically, the female predominant jobs, the male
comparators and the wage/value analysis all of which are derived from the same
establishment over which [Treasury Board] is the employer, can be used to
provide reasonable grounds for section 11 allegations against different and
separate employers.
(Appeal Book Vol. I, p. 317)
[69]
The Commission acknowledged that PSAC had listed
specific employee groups in its April 16, 2012 submissions. The Commission noted,
however, that according to NAV’s submissions, certain groups were no longer
female-dominated, and other groups no longer existed. The Commission remarked
that these differences in the parties’ submissions demonstrate why “… reasonable grounds for filing a section 11 complaint must
be based on the circumstances of an employer within one establishment”
(Appeal Book Vol. I, p. 318).
[70]
The Commission did not accept PSAC’s
argument that these differences demonstrate that an investigation is needed.
Instead, the Commission stated that reasonable grounds must be based on
something more than mere assertion or speculation. The Commission also noted
that a complaint under section 11 cannot be filed using proxy or surrogate
comparators.
[71]
In my view, the Commission’s decision on this
issue was not reasonable.
[72]
The Commission found, and the parties agree,
that a section 11 complaint must meet certain requirements: it must name
female-predominant and male-predominant jobs within the same establishment, and
must provide reasonable grounds that a comparison of the value of their work
and wages suggests discrimination (Deschênes v. Canada (Attorney General),
2009 FC 1126 at para. 16, [2009] F.C.J. No. 1374 (QL)).
[73]
In its submissions to the Commission dated April
16, 2012, PSAC listed specific female-predominant groups from within NAV that
it alleged were being paid discriminatory wage rates compared to specific
male-predominant groups at NAV (Appeal Book Vol. I, p. 125). In its complaint,
PSAC had: referenced the Tribunal Order (and its underlying facts); had alleged
that employees were transferred out of the public service to NAV at existing
Treasury Board wage rates; and had alleged that NAV employees perform duties that
are essentially the same as those performed by the
individuals in the occupational groups whose wages were in issue in the Tribunal
Order (Appeal Book Vol. I, pp. 282-283).
[74]
Nevertheless, the Commission found that PSAC’s
complaint lacked reasonable grounds. It determined that reasonable grounds for
a section 11 complaint must be based on the circumstances of an employer within
one establishment. In reaching this conclusion, the Commission pointed to the parties’
contradictory factual submissions. However, at the section 41 stage, PSAC’s
factual assertions must be taken to be true. The Commission is not to be concerned
with evidentiary disputes that go to the merits of the complaint in an analysis
under paragraph 41(1)(c).
[75]
In my view, it was not reasonable for the
Commission to conclude that PSAC’s complaint plainly and obviously did not
contain reasonable grounds to suggest that wages at NAV are discriminatory. Of course,
given the length of time that has passed since the pay equity study conducted
by JUMI, and given the different context within which the listed occupational
groups are now operating, PSAC must now establish in evidence the many facts it
alleged for its section 11 complaint to continue. However, such considerations
are not the concern of the Commission at the section 41 stage.
VI.
Disposition
[76]
For the foregoing reasons, I would allow the appeal
and set aside the judgment of the Federal Court. Giving the judgment that the
Federal Court should have given, I would allow the application for judicial
review in part. Having concluded that it was unreasonable for the Commission to
have dismissed the section 11 complaint against NAV as an individual employer under
paragraph 41(1)(c), I would remit this portion of PSAC’s complaint to
the Commission for further proceedings under the CHRA. I would dismiss all
other aspects of the application for judicial review.
[77]
Given the parties’ mixed success, I would not award
any costs.
"David G. Near"
“I agree.
David Stratas J.A.”
“I agree.
Donald J. Rennie
J.A.”