Dewlin Vriend and his legal team returned home from the Supreme Court of Canada to find a massive crowd waiting for them at the Edmonton International Airport.
Alberta was in a frenzy, and the anticipation built as the province waited for the Supreme Court to issue its ruling on the future of equality for Alberta’s Queer and Trans community.
It was going to be a close call. Delwin’s legal team’s hopes rested with Justice Sopinka — the swing vote.
But a week after the hearing, the tragic news of Justice Sopinka’s death shocked the nation.
Now, it was anyone’s guess as to which way the ruling would go.
In this episode, we learn about the Supreme Court’s ruling on Vriend v. Alberta and how the media factored into the public debate and warring PR campaigns over the use of the notorious Notwithstanding Clause.
Welcome to episode 7 of Vriend Versus Alberta.
*NOTE: The terms “Queer and Trans” and “sexual and gender minorities” are used in this series to refer to the 2SLGBTQI+ community as a whole. We acknowledge the great diversity within this community, and you can find more information about this here.
Archival audio of Delwin Vriend, et al. v. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Alberta, et al was used with permission from the Supreme Court of Canada.
Links: Read the Supreme Court’s ruling on Vriend v. Alberta.
Watch Senator Paula Simon’s speech in the Red Chamber about Vriend v. Alberta.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta from the Alberta Labour History Institute.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta on the University of Alberta’s Bridging Connections podcast.
Learn more about Vriend v. Alberta on the Edmonton Heritage Council’s Edmonton City as Museum Project podcast produced with Alberta Labour History Institute.
EPISODE IMAGE: Paula Simons recounts her time covering the Vriend v. Alberta case during her time as a reporter for the Edmonton Journal. CREDIT: Edmonton Community Foundation
