Ted Morton: Carney demands Supreme Court strip provinces of right to pass their own laws

There is an important constitutional conference going on in Ottawa this week. Haven’t heard about it? Don’t feel badly. Neither have most provincial governments who stand to lose one of the most important powers they acquired with the adoption of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982.

The provincial premiers have not been invited. There is none of the pomp and circumstance and media coverage that normally accompany constitutional conventions. No, this will all take place very quietly in the chambers of the Supreme Court, where the Mark Carney Liberals are asking the Supreme Court to effectively amend the Charter by imposing new restrictions on how provincial governments can use their Section 33 notwithstanding power.

The occasion is an appeal from Quebec dealing with Bill 21, which prevents some civil servants, most notably teachers, from wearing religious symbols at work. Bill 21 also includes the use of Section 33 of the Charter, which states that a law “shall operate notwithstanding a provision included in section 2 or sections 7 to 15 of this Charter.” ---More...

???? Carney Liberals Try To Crush Notwithstanding Clause: I warned Canadians, Carney would run the most authoritarian government in Canadian history. More evidence below. ????

Today: Carney’s Liberals are in the Supreme Court demanding judges be allowed to override provincial laws… pic.twitter.com/L6GsPLpbso

— Chris Ryan (@Watchdog_MP)March 23, 2026

Carney Liberals Try To Crush Notwithstanding Clause: I warned Canadians, Carney would run the most authoritarian government in Canadian history. More evidence below.

Today: Carney’s Liberals are in the Supreme Court demanding judges be allowed to override provincial laws by weakening the notwithstanding clause that protects Quebec’s Bill 21.

This breaks the 1982 constitutional deal that lets elected provincial legislatures — not unelected judges — have the final say on their own laws.

Carney is centralizing power in Ottawa and attacking provincial rights. Provinces must fight back.