The Supreme Court of Canada said Thursday that it will hear a Fredericton man's wrongful dismissal case against the provincial government.

David Dunsmuir was the clerk of the Court of Queen's Bench in Fredericton. He was fired in 2004 with 4½ months' pay in lieu of notice.

Gordon Petrie, Dunsmuir's lawyer, said the case is important for non-unionized government employees.

"It is a message, I think, to the province that you cannot simply dismiss people and you alone determine the length of notice," he said. "I think there is more to it than that and I think that's what this decision stands for."

Dunsmuir had lost his case before the New Brunswick Court of Appeal.