The following factum of the intervenor was prepared by McCarthy Tétrault LLP and Juristes Power Law on behalf of Egale Canada for the Supreme Court of Canada in the case of former B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) president Glen Hansman. The factum follows Hansman’s leave to appeal a B.C. Court of Appeal’s decision from January of this year, and is filed in response to Barry Neufeld’s – an ousted elected school trustee – use of anti-trans language both online and to media outlets.
The case will decide whether comments made by Neufeld constitute “fair language,” or if they qualify as “counter-speech,” with Hansman revisiting a 2018 lawsuit against Neufeld for defamation, now at the national court.
The case’s proceedings will begin on October 11, 2022.