Close X
Friday, September 27, 2024
ADVT 
National

Lawyers who challenged Nadon appointment to high court get only $5K in costs

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 Dec, 2014 10:54 AM

    OTTAWA — The lawyers who set out to challenge Marc Nadon's nomination to the Supreme Court of Canada have been rebuffed in a bid to recoup their costs.

    Toronto lawyer Rocco Galati and the Constitutional Rights Centre claimed more than $68,000 in fees and costs, but were instead awarded a $5,000 lump sum by the Federal Court of Canada.

    Galati filed for $51,706.54 and the centre sought $16,769.20 for work done by lawyer Paul Slansky.

    In his decision, Federal Court Judge Russel Zinn calls those bills unwarranted.

    Zinn says the application challenging the 2013 appointment of Nadon — whose nomination was ultimately rejected in a ruling by the high court itself — would have been complicated and important had it gone ahead.

    However, he says it was essentially sidelined by a subsequent governmental reference to the Supreme Court, rendering their cost claims excessive.

    "Although the application would have involved complex issues of law and have been of importance to the judicial system and the Constitution of Canada, the application was derailed and supplanted by the reference," Zinn wrote in his ruling.

    "As such, very little work needed to be done on the application by the applicants. The mere filing of it appears to have had the desired result."

    He added, though, that the challenge was important.

    "At the time the application was filed, there was no apparent objection made to the appointment of Justice Nadon on constitutional grounds by any person or government. To that extent, one could argue that the applicants have done Canada a service and should not be out-of-pocket in so doing."

    That was Zinn's justification for the $5,000 lump sum.

    Galati had argued that Nadon, a judge of the Federal Court of Appeal, was not eligible to be appointed to one of the three high court seats reserved for Quebec.

    The Supreme Court agreed and Nadon's appointment was rescinded.

    Suzanne Cote was appointed to fill the vacancy.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Canada Spending Another $30.5m On Ebola; Bulk Goes To Fund Vaccine, Drug Science

    Canada Spending Another $30.5m On Ebola; Bulk Goes To Fund Vaccine, Drug Science
    The federal government is spending an extra $30.5 million on programs to shore up Canada's readiness to deal with Ebola in this country, Health Minister Rona Ambrose said Monday.

    Canada Spending Another $30.5m On Ebola; Bulk Goes To Fund Vaccine, Drug Science

    B.C. To Launch Undercover Campaign To Police Uber Taxi Alternative

    B.C. To Launch Undercover Campaign To Police Uber Taxi Alternative
    VICTORIA — The British Columbia government is planning to launch an undercover assault on the alternative taxi service known as Uber.

    B.C. To Launch Undercover Campaign To Police Uber Taxi Alternative

    Three-year Prison Sentence For B.C. Driver Who Promised Not To Drink And Drive

    Three-year Prison Sentence For B.C. Driver Who Promised Not To Drink And Drive
    KAMLOOPS, B.C. — The night began with a promise not to drink and drive and ended with an impaired driver crashing his pickup and killing two passengers.

    Three-year Prison Sentence For B.C. Driver Who Promised Not To Drink And Drive

    Ice Dancers Gilles And Poirier Rebound After Heartbreaking Season

    Ice Dancers Gilles And Poirier Rebound After Heartbreaking Season
    KELOWNA, B.C. — When Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier didn't make Canada's team for the Sochi Olympics, the ice dancers put themselves on autopilot.

    Ice Dancers Gilles And Poirier Rebound After Heartbreaking Season

    Canadian hospital launching court challenge invalidate patents on human genes

    Canadian hospital launching court challenge invalidate patents on human genes
    TORONTO — A Canadian hospital is launching a court challenge with the ultimate goal of invalidating patents on human genes, saying such protection can adversely affect the health of patients and boost the country's health-care costs.

    Canadian hospital launching court challenge invalidate patents on human genes

    Ontario government is holding up infrastructure plan funding: Oliver

    Ontario government is holding up infrastructure plan funding: Oliver
    TORONTO — Finance Minister Joe Oliver says the Ontario government is causing delays in the federal government's plan to devote nearly $11 billion to infrastructure investments in the province over the coming years.

    Ontario government is holding up infrastructure plan funding: Oliver