The appellants challenged the constitutionality of the Manitoba Elections Finances Act, arguing that public funding of political parties infringed their freedom of expression under s. 2(b) of the Charter by forcing taxpayers to support views they opposed.
The appellants presented no evidence to support their claim, relying instead on unsupported hypotheses.
The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the appeal, holding that Charter decisions cannot be made in a factual vacuum and that the legislation did not prohibit expression but rather fostered the dissemination of diverse views.
