May 16, 2023
Delwin Vriend’s case arrives at the Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada granted Delwin Vriend’s legal team the leave to appeal Justice McClung’s ruling in the Alberta Court of Appeal. As the team arrived in Ottawa, the excitement and tension was palpable. It was their last shot to compel the Government of Alberta to include “sexual orientation” as protected ground in the Province’s human rights legislation.
In this episode, we take a deep dive into Sheila Greckol’s opening argument and visit a few of the submissions from the many interveners who spoke in support of Delwin’s case.
This would conclude the first half of the hearing before the Government of Alberta took the stand to argue its defense.
Welcome to episode 5 of Vriend Versus Alberta.
*NOTE: The terms “Queer and Trans” and “sexual and gender minorities” are used in this series to refer to the 2SLGBTQI+ community as a whole. We acknowledge the great diversity within this community, and you can find more information about this here.
Vriend Versus Alberta is produced by Edmonton Community Foundation and the Edmonton Queer History Project.
Archival audio of Delwin Vriend, et al. v. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Alberta, et al was used with permission from the Supreme Court of Canada.
Links:
Read the Supreme Court’s ruling on Vriend v. Alberta.
Watch Senator Paula Simon’s speech in the Red Chamber about Vriend v. Alberta.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta from the Alberta Labour History Institute.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta on the University of Alberta’s Bridging Connections podcast.