Not a good day for on the liberty front:
1. The CRTC has ruled that it will not "allow" to own CityTV as part of its purchase of the CHUM media empire. How in this day and age of a multiple-thousand channel TV universe the CRTC is still considered relevant is a mystery.
2. The Supreme Court has ruled on an important case, concluding that we have yet another Charter-protect right -- collective bargaining:
In its 6-1 decision, the SCC threw out sections of the B.C. Health and Social Services Delivery Improvement Act, saying it was contrary to the charter because it interfered with the collective bargaining process. The SCC agreed with a bid from a group of British Columbia health unions attempting to overturn the 2002 provincial law that erased portions of their contracts.
The justices said the collective bargaining process is protected by Section 2 of the charter.
"The protection enshrined (in the charter) may properly be seen as the culmination of a historical movement towards the recognition of a procedural right to collective bargaining,'' they wrote.
The implications of this decision are potentially far-reaching, especially in areas of the public sector where there are quickly-changing needs due to technological advances, budget shortfalls, etc... specifically healthcare, which is where this case originated from. Kudos to Judge Deschamps for being the lone dissenting voice.
