Seneca College v. Bhadauria

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Seneca College v. Bhadauria, [1981] 2 S.C.R. 181 is a leading decision of the Supreme Court of Canada on civil rights and tort law. The Court ruled that there can be no common law tort of discrimination.

1 Background
2 Decision of the Supreme Court of Canada
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Background

Bhadauria, an East Indian woman, was a qualified to teach in Ontario and had seven years experience. She had applied ten times to Seneca College but was never granted an interview. Bhadauria claimed that she was not interviewed because of her ethnicity.

She argued that the college had violated the common law tort of discrimination. The Ontario Court of Appeal accepted the existence of such a tort. Since Bhadauria could show that such a right existed and that it had been violated by the practices of the college she would be entitled to remedy.

[edit] Decision of the Supreme Court of Canada

The Court allowed the appeal. It held that there was no tort of discrimination and that the court of appeal erred.

The Ontario Human Rights Code was implemented because no such tort existed. It also foreclosed any civil right of action, irrespective of any public policy factors.