Justine Boulanger c. Université du Québec à Montréal (judicial review)

The UQAM Executive Committee expelled a student for one year. The student was a sitting member of the Executive Committee and her suspension meant that she could no longer sit on the UQAM Board of Governors and Executive Committee. The student applied for judicial review of the Executive Committee’s decision. It was the first suspension ordered under certain UQAM internal regulations. On September 21, 2015, the Superior Court of Québec rendered judgment in favour of UQAM in upholding the Executive Committee’s decision to suspend the student and validating the legality of the disciplinary process. The Superior Court noted that the university had properly followed its own procedures, that it had not breached the Charter of Student Rights and Responsibilities, and that the principles on procedural fairness had been respected throughout the process leading up to the student’s suspension. Several lawyers from the Montréal office participated in this mandate, in particular those experienced in administrative law and extraordinary remedies.