Société des Acadiens v. Association of Parents

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Société des Acadiens v. Association of Parents, [1986] 1 S.C.R. 549 is an early Supreme Court of Canada decision on minority language rights under section 19(2) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Court held that the right ensured that a Francophone accused has the right to an interpreter during their trial but not the right to be heard by a judge who speaks French.

Justice Beetz, writing for the majority held that the protection language rights under section 19(2) were different from most other rights in the Charter as they were the result of a political compromise, and consequently must be read restrictively. The right to be tried in court in french only implies the right to an interpreter. The judge and court staff have no requirement to speak french.

[edit] Aftermath

This decision was eventually reconsidered in R. v. Beaulac, [1999] 1 S.C.R. 768 where the Court rejected the Beetz interpretation in favour of the case's minority decision of Dickson and Wilson.