In late May, BC Supreme Court Justice Sharon Matthews ruled in favour of 880 migrant workers recruited for jobs at Mac’s Convenience Stores through immigration consultants. The workers had been induced to pay thousands of dollars in illegal recruitment fees after being promised jobs that often did not exist or did not match what had been promised.

Among the findings of Justice Matthews was that “Mac’s breached its duty of honesty...”

The owner of Mac’s Convenience Stores is Alimentation Couche-Tard. That company, one of the largest convenience store operators in the world, was founded by four individuals who enjoy collective personal wealth of almost C$25 billion.

Mac’s is not the only Canadian retailer that has been accused of mistreating foreign workers. Another is Restaurant Brands International (RBI), whose brands include Tim Horton’s, Burger King, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs. The largest shareholder of RBI is the Brazilian company 3G Capital. Its three founders are worth about C$75 billion.

Initially, I planned to title this post “Billionaires Take Advantage of Foreign Workers.” But after learning the Mac’s lawsuit had been launched more than ten years ago, a different title seemed appropriate. The workers involved may have to wait another three to five years for final resolution. The case is almost certainly headed for the appeal courts.

The UK’s 19th-century Prime Minister William Gladstone popularized an expression that can be traced back to the Magna Carta of 1215. Gladstone’s version was “Justice delayed is justice denied.“

No matter what the eventual outcome of this case is, justice has been denied to a large number of poverty-stricken individuals while the wealthy owners of the company will continue to enjoy lives of luxury.