SUPREME COURT OF CANADA
2005 SCC 85
Date: 20051219 Docket: 30545
Between:
Forum des maires de la Péninsule acadienne et Société des Acadiens et Acadiennes du Nouveau‑Brunswick Appellants
and
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Respondent
and
Attorney General of New Brunswick, Commissioner of Official Languages, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada, Fédération des associations de juristes d’expression française de common law inc., Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones and Commission nationale des parents francophones Interveners
Coram: McLachlin C.J. and Binnie, LeBel, Deschamps, Fish, Abella and Charron JJ.
Judgment (leave to appeal withdrawn): (para. 1)
The Court
Forum des maires de la Péninsule acadienne v. Canada (Food Inspection Agency), [2005] 3 S.C.R. 906, 2005 SCC 85
Forum des maires de la Péninsule acadienne et Société des Acadiens et Acadiennes du Nouveau‑Brunswick Appellants
v.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Respondent
and
Attorney General of New Brunswick, Commissioner of Official Languages, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada, Fédération des associations de juristes d’expression française de common law inc., Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones and Commission nationale des parents francophones Interveners
Indexed as: Forum des maires de la Péninsule acadienne v. Canada (Food Inspection Agency)
Neutral citation: 2005 SCC 85.
File No.: 30545.
2005: December 19.
Present: McLachlin C.J. and Binnie, LeBel, Deschamps, Fish, Abella and Charron JJ.
leave to appeal withdrawn
Practice — Leave to appeal — Public importance — Leave to appeal granted — Questions of law for which leave to appeal was granted no longer of public importance in view of enactment and coming into force of amendments to official languages legislation — Leave to appeal withdrawn.
Statutes and Regulations Cited
Act to amend the Official Languages Act (promotion of English and French), S.C. 2005, c. 41.
LEAVE TO APPEAL granted on February 17, 2005, [2005] 1 S.C.R. ix, from a judgment of the Federal Court of Appeal (Richard C.J. and Décary and Noël JJ.A.), [2004] 4 F.C.R. 276, 243 D.L.R. (4th) 542, 324 N.R. 314, 22 Admin. L.R. (4th) 161, [2004] F.C.J. No. 1235 (QL), 2004 CarswellNat 2619, 2004 FCA 263. Leave to appeal withdrawn.
JUDGMENT
[1] In view of the enactment and coming into force on November 25, 2005, after leave to appeal had been granted, of Bill S‑3, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act (promotion of English and French), S.C. 2005, c. 41, the questions of law for which leave was granted are no longer of public importance and do not justify maintaining that leave. For this reason, the leave to appeal granted in this case is withdrawn and is declared to be of no effect; no order is made as to costs.
Judgment accordingly.
Solicitors for the appellants: Michel Doucet, Moncton; Godin Lizotte Robichaud & Guignard, Shippagan; Heenan Blaikie, Toronto.
Solicitor for the respondent: Deputy Attorney General of Canada, Ottawa.
Solicitor for the intervener the Attorney General of New Brunswick: Attorney General of New Brunswick, Fredericton.
Solicitor for the intervener the Commissioner of Official Languages: Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, Ottawa.
Solicitors for the interveners Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada and Fédération des associations de juristes d’expression française de common law inc.: Heenan Blaikie, Ottawa.
Solicitors for the interveners Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones and Commission nationale des parents francophones: Heenan Blaikie, Toronto.