The town of Brossard adopted an anti-nepotism hiring policy disqualifying members of the immediate families of full-time employees and town councillors from taking up employment with the town.
The mis en cause's application for summer employment as a lifeguard was rejected because her mother worked as a full-time typist at the municipal police station.
The Supreme Court of Canada held that the hiring policy constituted discrimination based on civil status under s. 10 of the Quebec Charter.
The Court further held that the policy was not justified under s. 20 of the Charter, as the blanket exclusion was disproportionately stringent and not a bona fide occupational qualification, nor was the municipality a non-profit institution of a political nature.
