It says arguments over the “unprecedented and unexpected nature of the pandemic” are issues to be decided by a trial, rejecting the federal government’s claim that inmates should pursue individual lawsuits instead of banding together as a class.
Justice Michael Tammen’s ruling says inmates “frequently face inordinate hurdles” in the courts, being without the financial means to file individual lawsuits, and class actions are often their only realistic means to legally challenge conditions of confinement.
Lawyer Patrick Dudding says he welcomes the court’s decision and he and his associates are now tasked with getting the word out to current and former inmates to join the class, which he says could potentially involve thousands of people.
The lawsuit was originally filed in 2020.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025.
Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press
