Brent Tyler
Encyclopedia
Brent Tyler is a lawyer
in Quebec
, Canada
, known for his frequent court challenges to "Bill 101", Quebec's Charter of the French Language
temporarily disbarred in November 2011 for not completing the continuing education requirements.
In 2008, he challenged Quebec's Bill 104, which amended the Charter of the French Language to remove private school education in English as one of the ways that children became eligible for public school education in English, in front of the Supreme Court of Canada
. In 2009, The Supreme Court ruled Bill 104 unconstitutional and gave the government of Quebec
one year to put in place new rules. The Supreme Court did not grant Tyler the $100,000 in lawyer fees that he was seeking.
In 2005, he lost a case in the Supreme Court where he tried to get parts of Bill 101 dealing with restrictions on eligibility for English public schools declared unconstitutional. He was also involved in a 2003 case he called the "Lion and the Walrus" case, where he tried to get part of the French Language Charter that regulated the use of languages other than French on commercial signs declared unconstitutional. He won the case in provincial court but lost the appeals in front of Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court decided not to hear the case, to which Tyler responded that the Supreme Court "screwed up big time". He applied to the United Nations to review the case. The United Nations also rejected hearing the case, stating that Tyler did not use all the arguments that he could have used when the case was in Canadian courts.
Tyler was an unsuccessful candidate for the Equality Party
in the 1994 Quebec provincial election
in the riding
of Westmount-Saint-Louis. He came fourth with 727 votes (2.17%), compared to the winner, Jacques Chagnon
, who received 26,478 votes (79.2%). (The Equality Party had won the Westmount-Saint-Louis riding in the previous election
.)
From 2001 to 2004, he was president of the pro-English language lobby group, Alliance Quebec
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeA8A8FgK2o. His term as president was marked by infighting and questioning of the organization's continued relevance. During his term as president, Alliance Quebec membership dropped by 50% to 1554 members, its lowest-ever number. Also during his term, grants and donations to Alliance Quebec dropped from nearly $950,000 per year to less than $500,000. He resigned before his term was finished. The year after he resigned, the group ran out of money and closed down.
Interviewers have characterized Brent Tyler as having a "brazen, ramrod persona" and he has been criticized for his "hair-trigger temper". He was found guilty of a 1995 assault of a pedestrian who touched his car. The judge found that Tyler got out of his car, knocked the man over and kicked him in the head. He was given a conditional discharge pending a $500 donation to charity. Tyler's argument of self-defence was rejected, the judge saying that "revenge and not self-defense more aptly described what ensued". Despite losing his appeal, Tyler never admitted doing anything wrong and challenged his victim to sue him in civil court.
Tyler states that his law practice has suffered due to his political activities, including his outspoken support for issues such as the partition of Quebec
and his controversial Bill 101 cases. Some of his fees for his Bill 101 cases have been paid for by fund-raising events and donations by groups opposed to Bill 101, including: the National Citizens Coalition
(then headed by current Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
), National Post
editor Diane Francis
, the lobby group headed by Howard Galganov
and the Montreal weekly newspaper, "The Suburban
".
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, known for his frequent court challenges to "Bill 101", Quebec's Charter of the French Language
Charter of the French Language
The Charter of the French Language , also known as Bill 101 and Loi 101, is a law in the province of Quebec in Canada defining French, the language of the majority of the population, as the only official language of Quebec, and framing fundamental language rights for everyone in the province...
temporarily disbarred in November 2011 for not completing the continuing education requirements.
In 2008, he challenged Quebec's Bill 104, which amended the Charter of the French Language to remove private school education in English as one of the ways that children became eligible for public school education in English, in front of the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
. In 2009, The Supreme Court ruled Bill 104 unconstitutional and gave the government of Quebec
Government of Quebec
The Government of Quebec refers to the provincial government of the province of Quebec. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
one year to put in place new rules. The Supreme Court did not grant Tyler the $100,000 in lawyer fees that he was seeking.
In 2005, he lost a case in the Supreme Court where he tried to get parts of Bill 101 dealing with restrictions on eligibility for English public schools declared unconstitutional. He was also involved in a 2003 case he called the "Lion and the Walrus" case, where he tried to get part of the French Language Charter that regulated the use of languages other than French on commercial signs declared unconstitutional. He won the case in provincial court but lost the appeals in front of Superior Court and the Quebec Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court decided not to hear the case, to which Tyler responded that the Supreme Court "screwed up big time". He applied to the United Nations to review the case. The United Nations also rejected hearing the case, stating that Tyler did not use all the arguments that he could have used when the case was in Canadian courts.
Tyler was an unsuccessful candidate for the Equality Party
Equality Party (Quebec)
The Equality Party was a political party in Quebec, Canada, that promoted the use of English in Quebec on an equal basis with French. Four Equality Party members were elected to Quebec's National Assembly in 1989, as part of an anglophone reaction to changes made by the governing Liberals to...
in the 1994 Quebec provincial election
Quebec general election, 1994
The Quebec general election of 1994 was held on September 12, 1994, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The Parti Québécois, led by Jacques Parizeau, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Daniel Johnson, Jr.....
in the riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Westmount-Saint-Louis. He came fourth with 727 votes (2.17%), compared to the winner, Jacques Chagnon
Jacques Chagnon
Jacques Chagnon is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Concordia University and graduate degrees in political science and in Law from the Université de Montréal...
, who received 26,478 votes (79.2%). (The Equality Party had won the Westmount-Saint-Louis riding in the previous election
Quebec general election, 1989
The Quebec general election of 1989 was held on September 25, 1989, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada...
.)
From 2001 to 2004, he was president of the pro-English language lobby group, Alliance Quebec
Alliance Quebec
Alliance Quebec was a group formed in 1982 to lobby on behalf of English-speaking Quebecers in the province of Quebec, Canada. It began as an umbrella group of many English-speaking organizations and institutions in the province, with approximately 15,000 members. At its height in the mid-1980s,...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeA8A8FgK2o. His term as president was marked by infighting and questioning of the organization's continued relevance. During his term as president, Alliance Quebec membership dropped by 50% to 1554 members, its lowest-ever number. Also during his term, grants and donations to Alliance Quebec dropped from nearly $950,000 per year to less than $500,000. He resigned before his term was finished. The year after he resigned, the group ran out of money and closed down.
Interviewers have characterized Brent Tyler as having a "brazen, ramrod persona" and he has been criticized for his "hair-trigger temper". He was found guilty of a 1995 assault of a pedestrian who touched his car. The judge found that Tyler got out of his car, knocked the man over and kicked him in the head. He was given a conditional discharge pending a $500 donation to charity. Tyler's argument of self-defence was rejected, the judge saying that "revenge and not self-defense more aptly described what ensued". Despite losing his appeal, Tyler never admitted doing anything wrong and challenged his victim to sue him in civil court.
Tyler states that his law practice has suffered due to his political activities, including his outspoken support for issues such as the partition of Quebec
Partition of Quebec
Partition in Quebec politics refers to the secession of regions of the province of Quebec, rather than to partitions in a strict political sense. It is usually discussed as a possibility in the event of Quebec secession from Canada...
and his controversial Bill 101 cases. Some of his fees for his Bill 101 cases have been paid for by fund-raising events and donations by groups opposed to Bill 101, including: the National Citizens Coalition
National Citizens Coalition
The National Citizens Coalition is a Canadian conservative lobby group that campaigns against public services, trade unions, and in favour of smaller government and lower taxes. Incorporated in Ontario in 1975, the NCC was founded by insurance agent Colin M. Brown, who began an advertising...
(then headed by current Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
), National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
editor Diane Francis
Diane Francis
Diane Francis is a Canadian journalist, author, and editor-at-large for the National Post newspaper since 1998. She was previously the Editor of the Financial Post from 1991 to 1998, when it was taken over by the National Post and incorporated into it...
, the lobby group headed by Howard Galganov
Howard Galganov
Howard Galganov was briefly a political activist and radio personality in Montreal during the late 1990s...
and the Montreal weekly newspaper, "The Suburban
The Suburban
The Suburban is the largest English-language weekly newspaper in the province of Quebec. It is a community newspaper based in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, and serves primarily the west-end of the city and the West Island suburbs. The newspaper's editor-in-chief is Beryl Wajsman. Its...
".