CANADA: CTF wins intervener status at Supreme Court of Canada

A historic first for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation – they have been granted intervener status to appear before the Supreme Court of Canada!

The basic issue is: can governments refuse to give judges a pay raise?

Here’s what happened. Unlike other government employees, judges’ salaries are usually based on a recommendation from an independent committee.

But recently, in both British Columbia and Nova Scotia, the committee recommended big pay hikes for judges, even though both governments were implementing across-the-board spending cuts. The governments refused to give them the raise, so the judges took them to court.

They are jumping into the fight to make the case that governments have every right to tighten their belts, and judges, as government employees, shouldn’t be exempted.

This fight matters for two reasons.

First of all, if the judges win this case, it will set a dangerous legal precedent. It’s not hard to see other government unions salivating at the possibility they could use the courts to force governments into hiking bureaucrat salaries, even when voters have told them to reduce spending.

Second, being granted status before the Supreme Court is a big step forward for the CTF on their future legal battles, including their application to intervene in the carbon tax battle now heading to the Supreme Court, likely in early 2020.

Adam Goldenberg, an outstanding lawyer, will be representing them in the Supreme Court intervention.