The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed a claim of discrimination by a government employee ordered to return to the office after working from home. The employee, a married mother of five, argued the order was unfair.

“Not every conflict between one’s professional obligations and one’s family responsibilities constitutes prima facie discrimination,” wrote Justice Anne Mactavish of the Appeal Court. “Parents usually have various options available to meet their parental obligations.”

Anjie Tarek-Kaminker, a federal Crown prosecutor in Toronto, had been permitted to work from home two days a week until her manager cancelled the arrangement as “no longer feasible” in 2016. “It limited her ability to conduct lengthy trials before Ontario Superior Court, something the employer says would be a normal expectation for prosecutors,” the Court noted.