Use Case:
Denial of non-institutional spiritual practices

Below are the excerpts of the original article published at Making Your Voice Heard at PIPSC Substack.

The templates for the filing a grievance for this use case are here.

Self-Representation 101: Use Case – Denial of Religious Exemption for a Member Practicing Non-Institutional Spiritual Beliefs

Union said they will not support the grievance because it is "creed." She incurred psychological trauma and half a year of salary loss—and now fights back on her own.

This chapter presents a fictionalized case based on real-life experiences shared by multiple members who were denied union support in moments of profound personal and spiritual conflict.

The example draws from numerous testimonials of public servants who followed lifelong spiritual or conscience-based practices not affiliated with organized religions, churches, or recognized religious authorities—and who found themselves abandoned by their union during critical disciplinary moments. These individuals often adhere to deeply rooted personal worldviews that include ethical, medical, and spiritual disciplines such as independent yoga lineages, Earth-based spirituality, and naturalistic or holistic wellness philosophies. Although these practices do not involve churches or clergy, they are profoundly sincere and form the foundation of how these individuals live their lives, often for decades.

...

She was willing to face hardship, but what truly traumatized her was the union’s refusal to grieve on her behalf. The response she received from her union’s Employment Relations Officer stated that:

“According to Canadian legal definitions, your practice constitutes a creed, not a religion. Therefore, there are no grounds Non-Institutional Spiritual and Conscience-Based Traditions

Canadian constitutional and human rights law does not limit freedom of religion to institutional, church-based, or clergy-led traditions. A wide range of non-institutional spiritual and conscience-based belief systems may qualify for religious accommodation where they are sincerely held and form a comprehensive framework governing moral duty and conduct.

Examples may include, but are not limited to:

• Buddhist practice, including lay or non-temple-affiliated traditions where ethical discipline, non-harm, and mindful conduct are understood as religious obligations
  
  

• Dharmic traditions, including beliefs grounded in dharma (right action) and karma (moral causality), where individuals are morally and spiritually accountable for the foreseeable consequences of their actions, and where knowingly causing harm is understood to generate negative ethical and spiritual consequences
  
  

• Indigenous spiritual practices, particularly those transmitted through family, community, or lived tradition rather than formal institutions
  
  

• Anthroposophic spiritual practice, including anthroposophic medicine, where health decisions are guided by a spiritual understanding of the human being as an integrated unity of body, soul, and spirit
  
  

• Earth-based or nature-centered spiritual traditions, where moral obligations arise from a spiritually grounded relationship to life, the body, and the natural world
  
  

• Conscience-based spiritual belief systems that impose duties of ethical restraint, responsibility for consequences, and respect for bodily integrity, including the belief that knowingly undertaking actions perceived as harmful violates moral and spiritual law
  
  

What matters in law is not the institutional label, doctrinal uniformity, or similarity to mainstream Western religions, but whether the belief is sincerely held, religious or spiritual in nature, and meaningfully governs moral obligation and conduct.

for a grievance.”

This response not only dismissed the spiritual foundation of her beliefs—it effectively erased her lived experience.

This member eventually discovered what the Supreme Court of Canada clarified in its decision on Syndicat Northcrest v. Amselem (2004 SCC 47):

Freedom of religion includes individual and sincerely held beliefs, even if not rooted in an institutional religion or practiced within a formal congregation.

Source: Supreme Court of Canada Decision
Interpretation Summary: https://en.gorodnichy.ca/no-more-mandates/freedom-of-religion

Faced with both employer suspension and union abandonment, the member chose to fight back alone.

She began the grievance process without representation. Assisted by other members, she found the process rather straightforward and easy.

Why This Matters

Religious freedom is not limited to mainstream faiths. It includes deeply personal, consciously practiced beliefs that guide a person's ethical, medical, and spiritual choices. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms defends that freedom. When both the employer and the union violate it—the employee must stand as their own advocate.