Class actions: you read about them in the newspaper or hear
about them on television, but beyond the headlines and soundbites,
what is a "class action" and how can a class action help
you? This blog post unpacks the world of class proceedings,
including the advantages, common types, and the typical steps (from
start to finish...finish being money in your bank account).
What is a class action?
A class action is a type of civil litigation that allows one or
a few individuals to sue one or more defendants—commonly,
large companies or government bodies—on behalf of a large
group of people who experienced a similar type of harm.
Class proceedings are a "procedural
vehicle"—they do not alter the content of the rights and
protections that Canadians have under the law. Rather, class
proceedings empower many people to sue the same defendant(s) for a
common wrong in one action, as opposed to filing hundreds, or even
thousands, of separate civil proceedings.
