Yesterday, the highest court in the land refused to hear appeals from citizens demanding compensation for inconvenience suffered during a demonstration by Montreal blue-collar workers in September 2003.
Initially, the Superior Court had ordered the blue-collar workers to pay a fine of $25 to $35 to 435 people; but subsequently, the Court of Appeal had concluded that the right to travel by car without suffering undue delay does not fall under the Charter of Rights.
The president of the Montreal blue-collar workers’ union (CUPE 301), Michel Parent, welcomed the news. “This Court decision enshrines our right to demonstrate,” he said.
