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on the issue of gender. In this case the President[49] granted remission of sentence to certain mothers who had minor children under the age of 12 years. The respondent, who was a male prisoner with a minor child of 12 years, argued that the Act discriminates against him on the ground of gender and sex and that it was thus in conflict with s 8 of the 1993 Constitution.[50] Goldstone J emphasized the importance of the prohibition against unfair discrimination within our constitutional dispensation and held:[51] The prohibition on unfair discrimination ... seeks not only to avoid discrimination against people who are members of disadvantaged groups. It seeks more than that. At the heart of the prohibition of unfair discrimination lies a recognition that the purpose of our new constitutional and democratic order is the establishment of a society in which all human beings will be accorded equal dignity and respect regardless of their membership of particular groups.[52] The Court held that the Presidential Act prima facie discriminates on one of the listed grounds,[53] and that such discrimination is presumed to be unfair unless the contrary is proved.[54] Goldstone J formulated the test to determine whether the discrimination was fair or not as follows: ... it is necessary to look not only at the group who has been disadvantaged but at the nature of the power in terms of which the discrimination was effected and, also at the nature of the interests which have been affected by the discrimination.[55] After careful consideration of the factors and circumstances the majority of the Court came to the conclusion that on the facts of the case the discrimination was fair.[56] The Court found that, although fathers of young children have a disadvantage, their rights or obligations as fathers were not restricted in terms of the Presidential Act. The discrimination did not deny or limit their freedom. Their freedom was curtailed as a result of their conviction and not as a result of the Presidential Act. The latter merely deprived them from an early release to which they had no legal entitlement. Therefore, the impact of the discrimination upon the relevant fathers did not fundamentally impair their rights of dignity or sense of equal worth.[57] In a dissenting judgment Kriegler J[58] was of opinion that the notion to regard women as primary care givers of young children is a root cause of womens inequality in society. He argues that such a notion is ... both a result and a cause of prejudice; a societal attitude which relegates women to a subservient, occupationally inferior yet unceasingly onerous role. It is a relic and a feature of the patriarchy which the Constitution so vehemently condemns.[59] According to him s 8 of the 1993 Constitution, and other provisions regarding gender equality, were designed to undermine and not to maintain patterns of discrimination.[60] As a result the benefits to a few women with young children were outweighed by the serious disadvantage to
gender equality in society as a whole, and consequently the presidential decision resulted in unfair discrimination.[61] In her assenting judgment ORegan J agrees with Goldstone J and Kriegler J that the responsibility borne by mothers for the care of children is a major cause of inequality in society. It is one of the factors that renders her less competitive and less successful in the labour market resulting in the unequal division of labour between men and women, which is a primary source of womens disadvantage in society.[62] However, she disagrees with Kriegler J that affording advantages to mothers of young children would hamper the task of achieving constitutional equality. According to her the fact that mothers generally bear the responsibilities of child rearing is a simple fact of the matter which cannot be ignored in determining the discrimination in casu.[63] Although Mokgoro J concurred in the order proposed by the majority of the Court, she held that the Presidential Act constituted unfair discrimination,[64] but that the discrimination was justified in terms of s 33(1) of the 1993 Constitution.[65] With regard to gender discrimination she observed as follows:[66] Section 8 of our [1993] Constitution gives us the opportunity to move away from gender stereotyping. Society should no longer be bound by the notions that a womans place is in the home (and, conversely, not in the public sphere) ... Those notions have for too long deprived women of a fair opportunity to participate in public life, and deprived society of the valuable contribution women can make. Women have been prevented from gaining economic self-sufficiency, or forging identities for themselves independent of their roles as wives and mothers.[67] At the onset of this paper it was argued that all inequalities between men and women should be addressed before legislative recognition is given to marriages concluded under a system of religious law or to religious legal systems. In light of the South African Law Commissions investigation into Islamic marriages and related matters it is of the utmost importance that we start debating the relevant issues. When the principles of the Hugo case regarding gender equality are applied to the position of Muslim women with respect to inheritance, the following arguments may be raised.
EQUALITY
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Equality Rights
Important equality rights issues are described below:
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Example: The Eldridge Case How do Courts Decide an Equality case? Enumerated/Listed Grounds Analogous/Similar Grounds Discrimination: Going Against the Purpose of Section 15 Important Factors Section 1 of the Charter: The Government's Defense
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problem. In "test cases", the courts develop the principles or tests for deciding whether your rights have been violated. These principles are then applied in later cases.
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What is "equality"?
Section 15 of the Charter states that: Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the rights to equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability. What does equality mean? People's understanding of this idea has changed and developed over the years. At one time, people believed that only certain people had the right to equality, such as men, adults, or landowners. Until recently, many people thought that equality meant getting the exact same treatment as other people. We call this approach "formal equality".
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"Substantive" Equality
Now, the courts and many equality seekers have a broader view of equality, one that is often called "substantive equality". A substantive equality approach recognizes that patterns of disadvantage and oppression exist in society and requires that law makers and government officials take this into account in their actions. It
examines the impact of law within its surrounding social context to make sure that laws and policies promote full participation in society by everyone, regardless of personal characteristics or group membership. Substantive equality requires challenging common stereotypes about group characteristics that may underlie law or government action as well as ensuring that important differences in life experience, as viewed by the equality seeker, are taken into account. The Supreme Court of Canada recently affirmed its commitment to a substantive approach to equality in its unanimous decision in Law v. Canada.
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people in comparison to themselves. In other words, the "personal characteristics" that the courts consider are labels created to talk about what people believe are important differences between individuals and groups. Examples: Direct Differences in Treatment a law which says that an Aboriginal women loses her legal status as an Aboriginal person if she marries someone without this status, but that an Aboriginal man may marry whomever he pleases without affecting his status This law creates a direct difference in treatment on the basis of sex(gender) by singling out Aboriginal women and taking away their rights. a law which says only married and opposite-sex common law couples can get certain tax breaks This law creates a direct difference in treatment on the basis of sexual orientation by singling out people in same-sex relationships and denying them tax breaks. Negative (Adverse) Impact: A law which says you must pay a very high fee to immigrate to Canada This law may seem to treat everyone the same. However, it has a different impact if you think about how it operates within the social and economic environment or context. This law creates different obstacles for people on low-incomes and/or people from countries where the money is worth a lot less once it is converted into Canadian dollars. It has a different impact based on your income and/or your national origin.
Here you must show that the characteristic or group membership which forms the basis for the difference in treatment or impact is a "ground of discrimination". The ground may be either listed ("enumerated") in section 15 or like ("analogous to") the grounds listed in section 15.
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Enumerated/Listed Grounds
The "grounds of discrimination" listed or enumerated in section 15 describe certain personal characteristics (or groups in which we may be members) which have been linked to oppression or disadvantage in our society, and around the world. Examples: In the above example, the Aboriginal woman who loses her legal status has received different treatment based on the listed ground of "sex". In the above example, the high immigration fee has a different impact on some people based on the listed ground of "national origin".
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Analogous/Similar Grounds
If the difference in treatment or impact is not based on a listed ground of discrimination, you must show that it is based on a similar
(analogous) ground. According to the courts, the basic goal of section 15 is to protect human dignity by making sure that law makers view all people, right from the start, as being of equal worth and value and as equal and full participants in our society. The grounds of discrimination identify bases for different treatment or effect which we think are dangerous because they contribute to a society where some of us are not full participants and where some are seen as more worthy human beings than others. To decide whether a personal characteristic or group membership is an "analogous" or "like" ground of discrimination, the courts will ask some of the following questions. You do not need a "yes" answer to all of them. It is a pretty flexible decision. does the ground describe a group which has experienced and/or is now experiencing social, legal and/or economic disadvantage? does it describe a group which is vulnerable to prejudice, or stereotyping? is this group vulnerable to being mistreated or having its needs/conditions overlooked? is this group being prevented from participating fully in society? Is this group a minority community within broader society?
Examples: In the above example, a lesbian couple denied tax breaks have been treated differently based on their sexual orientation. While "sexual orientation" is nowhere to be found in the words of section 15, the Supreme Court of Canada has said that it is an "analogous" ground of discrimination and can be addressed using section 15. In the above example, a person with a low-income faces a more negative impact of the immigration fee due to his or her economic status, poverty or social condition. The Supreme Court of Canada has not yet recognized economic status or social condition as a ground of
discrimination addressed by section 15 of the Charter. Is the difference in treatment or effect truly discrimination (as meant by Section 15 of the Charter)?
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Important Factors
Below are four factors which the Supreme Court of Canada has set
out. They have said, however, that other factors in the social context or environment which have some bearing on a consideration of the purpose of section 15 may also be important. 1. Whether the group to which the equality seeker belongs already experiences disadvantage in society, quite apart from the difference in treatment or impact brought about by the law or policy This would be true of all of the groups identified in the examples used above. Aboriginal women, same-sex couples, and newcomers to Canada from developing countries already experience disadvantage as groups in society. 2. Whether there is a link between the difference in treatment or impact and the actual needs, capacities or circumstances of the equality seeker As the Supreme Court has said: [L]egislation which takes into account the actual needs, capacity, or circumstances of the claimant and others with similar traits in a manner that respects their value as human beings and members of Canadian society will be less likely to have a negative effect on human dignity. A good example is the case of the Deaf person requiring sign language interpretation for doctor and hospital visits. A hearing person might argue that this is discrimination because different treatment is given to Deaf people based on their disability. The Courts would say that this different treatment does not go against the purpose of section 15, but rather promotes this purpose. For this reason, this policy would not be discrimination. 3. Whether the law or policy has an ameliorative purpose or effect The idea here is that laws or policies which are meant to ameliorate or improve conditions for an equality seeking group do not discriminate against people from the relatively more advantaged group. For instance, it is not discrimination for the government to provide sign language interpretation for people with hearing impairments and not for able-bodied people who do not have difficulty hearing. This policy is meant to improve conditions in health care for people with hearing
impairments. 4. The Nature of the Interest Here the court will look at the economic, social or constitutional importance of the interests affected by the difference in treatment or impact. A court would hopefully view the ability to receive medical care, to maintain one's unique rights as an aboriginal person, to receive important tax benefits, or to immigrate to Canada, as important interests for ensuring that we are all equal participants in Canadian society.
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through passing laws must be reasonable and the government must be able to justify them taking into account that ours is a free and democratic society.
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It is very important that we hold governments strictly accountable when they violate our rights. For this reason, equality seekers also have a lot to say about how strictly the courts apply the section 1 test. While the government is responsible for meeting this test, people who go to court using section 15 of the Charter must prepare to answer any of the things the government will say in its own defense under section 1. Equality seekers may also have something to say about the following questions: How much evidence does the government need to prove its points? Can the court just take certain things for granted? What does it mean to "minimally impair" the right to equality? What is acceptable? How should the courts decide what the goal of the problem law is? Do we look at the overall purpose of the legislation? the purpose of the piece or aspect of the law which creates the inequality? both? What is an acceptable balance between positive and negative effects? Does it matter what the social goal is? Does it matter if two different rights seem to be in conflict? (e.g. Laws dealing with "hate propaganda" must balance the right to free expression with the right to be free from discrimination)
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