The appellant was the top candidate in two closed competitions for clerical positions with the RCMP but was denied the required 'Top Secret Security Clearance' without reasons.
She appealed the subsequent appointments of lower-ranked candidates to the Public Service Commission Appeal Board, which allowed her appeal on the basis that it could review the reasonableness of the security clearance denial.
The Federal Court of Appeal set aside the Board's decision.
The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the appellant's appeal, holding that the requirement of a security clearance is a condition of appointment within management's authority, not an evaluation of relative merit under the Public Service Employment Act, and therefore cannot be reviewed by an Appeal Board under section 21.
