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.”


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