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applegrove

(123,295 posts)
Wed May 15, 2024, 06:39 PM May 2024

Pierre Poilievre hints he'd like to strip Canadians of some rights. There's something to think about when it's time

Pierre Poilievre hints he’d like to strip Canadians of some rights. There’s something to think about when it’s time to vote

At least one legal scholar in Canada believes voters should be asking some hard questions about the Constitution — specifically, whether a future prime minister would be willing to opt out of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Updated 2 hrs ago
May 15, 2024


ETHAN CAIRNS THE CANADIAN PRESS
Susan-Delacourt
By Susan DelacourtNational Columnist

https://www.thestar.com/politics/pierre-poilievre-hints-hed-like-to-strip-canadians-of-some-rights-theres-something-to-think/article_c51ab03c-12d0-11ef-b329-43ddde563cce.html#:~:text=Conservative%20Leader%20Pierre%20Poilievre%20has,and%20Freedoms%2C%20Susan%20Delacourt%20writes.&text=No%20one%20knows%20what%20the,election%2C%20whenever%20it%20does%20come.

"SNIP...........

No one knows what the ballot-box question will be in the next election, whenever it does come.

But at least one legal scholar in Canada believes voters should be asking some hard questions about the Constitution — specifically, whether a future prime minister would be willing to opt out of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Pierre Poilievre has dropped some broad hints in the past couple of weeks that he could be ready to blaze a trail here as prime minister. No federal government has ever used the notwithstanding clause in the 40-plus years it has been part of the Constitution. But the Conservative leader told a police chiefs’ gathering he might go down that road to get tougher on criminals.

“All of my proposals are constitutional, and we will make sure we will make them constitutional. We’re using whatever tools the Constitution allows me to use to make them constitutional,” Poilievre said in his Apr. 29 speech.

“I think you know exactly what I mean.”


..............SNIP"

8 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Pierre Poilievre hints he'd like to strip Canadians of some rights. There's something to think about when it's time (Original Post) applegrove May 2024 OP
everything Hitler did after taking power was legal..."I think you know exactly what I mean." nt msongs May 2024 #1
When people have these ideas, it's always other groups that lose. keithbvadu2 May 2024 #2
Canadians better wake up, they are going down a dangerous road. Look at the looney they voted Bev54 May 2024 #3
I know, eh? AloeVera May 2024 #5
To clarify for Non-Canadians: Fiendish Thingy May 2024 #4
Got a question... maspaha May 2024 #6
Elections Canada is the department to inquire with. applegrove May 2024 #7
Thank you! maspaha May 2024 #8

Bev54

(11,917 posts)
3. Canadians better wake up, they are going down a dangerous road. Look at the looney they voted
Wed May 15, 2024, 07:28 PM
May 2024

in here in Alberta. She is trying to take power over municipalities and cities. The conservatives are like republicans and we Canadians cannot be complacent, we have never had to face this before and so many do not even take notice.

AloeVera

(1,964 posts)
5. I know, eh?
Wed May 15, 2024, 07:44 PM
May 2024

Scary times. The growing Trumpification of Canada is so sad and worrying to see. So sorry you have to live under that nutbar of a premier, though mine - Ford- is right up there too. Oh Canada.

Fiendish Thingy

(18,611 posts)
4. To clarify for Non-Canadians:
Wed May 15, 2024, 07:41 PM
May 2024

The charter of rights and freedoms has a “Notwithstanding Clause” that allows the government to ignore court rulings that a particular law is unconstitutional, but only until the next election, so for a maximum of five years.

Provinces have occasionally used the notwithstanding clause, most often by Quebec, but the federal government has never used it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_33_of_the_Canadian_Charter_of_Rights_and_Freedoms

https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/2019/07/notwithstanding-clause-2/?print=print

https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/august-2022/notwithstanding-clause-powers-separation/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/notwithstanding-clause-explained-ford-1.6641293

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/notwithstanding-clause-plain-language-summary

If America had a Notwithstanding Clause, Roe would still be the law of the land.

maspaha

(390 posts)
6. Got a question...
Wed May 15, 2024, 09:58 PM
May 2024

What are Canadian election finance laws like? My husband has Canadian citizenship by birth and US citizenship by naturalization but hasn’t lived in Canada since he was like 4 years old. He’s never voted in Canada and I don’t know it’s even eligible. Even if he’s not eligible to vote do y’all know if he can at least contribute cash to candidates? We rely heavily on Canadians for our personal sanity (we’re living in Crazytown, Arizona) and are willing to expand our legal political participation to Canada.

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