For clarity, the global fascist’s playbook involves twisting a country’s rules and manipulating its institutions in order to consolidate power and overcome impediments to unilateral rule. In #Canada the biggest weakness encoded in our constitution is the #NotwithstandingClause, which enables provincial governments to ‘opt out’ of federal legislation if they feel it encroaches on provincial sovereignty, and we’ve seen multiple instance of provincial Conservative governments invoking the NWC in order to ram through their agendas. Recently now, we’re even seeing PM Conservative hopeful Pierre #Poillievre alluding to invoking the NWC federally in order to pass likely-unconstitutional ‘tough on crime’ legislation.

The global rise of fascism is a coordinated effort to undermine democracies worldwide to the benefit of the multinational oligarchs.

@camerondotca
Personally, I think the Québec sign law is a reasonable compromise, even if it infringes on freedom of expression. Legislatures are generally better at hammering out compromises than courts.

On the other hand, there are cases in which the #NotwithstandingClause has been used foolishly, e.g., to deny jobs to teachers who choose to wear headscarves.

And personally I want the clause to be used to overrule the decision on sentencing in R. v. Bissonnette.

@camerondotca
Before the Charter, Canada had a constitutional system of parliamentary supremacy. By bringing in the Charter, we gave judges the power to override democracy in the name of specified rights. That inevitably leads to differences in interpretation [0], and so we adopted the #NotwithstandingClause to give parliament the final word.

[0] Even the Supreme Court of today sometimes finds that the Supreme Court of 1990 was mistaken.

@Paulatics
Why? A law was passed, the Supreme Court struck it down on Charter grounds; re-enacting it with the #NotwithstandingClause invoked would be a response to the Supreme Court's judgement, not pre-emptive.

At least that's the way I see it.

@mfenniak

This far, I have had 10 responses from 15 mayors re my concerns about the #notwithstandingclause being used AGAINST the unhoused people of Ontario.
EIGHT of those responses were form-letter bullshit, unworthy of response but got some anyways.
ONLY the present mayor of St Catherines and the mayor of Barrie responded with anything truly deep or personal and their rationalizations and reasons were weak enough that I STILL am encouraging them to resign, based upon those responses.
It's not good.

[Canada] Windsor mayor supports notwithstanding clause to clear homeless encampments
https://windsor.ctvnews.ca/windsor-mayor-supports-notwithstanding-clause-to-clear-homeless-encampments-1.7096481

* joins 11 Ontario mayors urging Premier Doug Ford to empower municipalities
* anti-homelessness discrimination
* pot. use of notwithstanding clause, Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms

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

@Greengordon @hamishb

On the flip side, there are *things* Poiievre will tamper with that the current govt will not.

#cdnpoli #EvangelicalPatriarchy #NotWithstandingClause
#LGBTQ #reproductiveRIghts #seniors

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre actually called THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA a "government bureaucracy"

Tromp also attacked the Supreme Court until he stacked it full of 'his people'. Now that Court makes decisions that benefit him personally & break constitutional principles.

#Poilievre wants you to distrust our national institutions including the Supreme Court of #Canada.
It's that simple.
Then he will try & take us down the same road as the US.

@Paulatics
Use of the #NotwithstandingClause should never be done lightly, but it's not hard to think of issues on which a disagreement between the courts and Parliament should be resolved in favour of parliamentary supremacy. (I support, for instance, the #CharterOfTheFrenchLanguage.)

@AlisonCreekside The concern you raised was that #PP might use the #NotWithstandingClause to pass unconstituonal stuff. So, as #AndrewCoyne points out, things could get interesting.
Gleaning a bit from Andrew's article, I dug up a page on short lived PM #KimCampbell's attempt to restrict abortion access, which seems quite relevant here. The senate rejected it after it passed the house, on a tie vote.
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/02/01/Canadian-Parliament-defeats-proposed-abortion-law/8628665384400/ #cdnpoli

@Sanderde @CanadianCrone @merry123459

Indeed.
"For many years Canadian women haven’t had to worry about abortion rights, their right to choose or reproductive health access - whether you chose to exercise those rights or not.
Then, #Poilievre & his Cons come along and women across #Canada feel threatened again."

Pierre #Poilievre & his MPs are indeed going down that road....

Conservative MP, Kerry-Lynne Findlay has formally asked the government for its definition of a woman.

via Alex Ballingall @TorontoStar

@AlisonCreekside Most Canadians have no idea who these MPs are, but this anti-abortion crowd is sitting quietly in the background waiting for the angry, vocal "Axe-the-Taxers" and "Freedomers" to win the federal election for them. Then they will get to work.