On December 7, 2001, the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a decision of the Divisional Court quashing the directions of the Health Services Restructuring Commission which had ordered the closing of Hôpital Montfort, the last remaining French hospital in Ontario.
What is so significant about the Ontario Court of Appeal's decision is that the unwritten constitutional principles recognized in the Québec Secession Reference now have a binding normative force. This is the first decision in Canadian history to recognize the application of these principles in favour of a linguistic minority.
In this landmark victory for linguistic minorities in Canada, successfully appeared on behalf of the intervenor, The Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada.