The promise and peril of the AI Revolution: Peter Copeland and Ryan Khurana
The promise and peril of the AI Revolution: Peter Copeland and Ryan Khurana
Inside Policy: The public policy echo chamber

Danielle Smith noncommittal on overriding Charter as court challenge looms over trans bills [Video]

Categories
Alberta News

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she doesn’t believe she’ll need to invoke the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to shield her government’s transgender bills from legal challenges.

The bills have passed third and final reading in the legislature and are set to become law.

LGBTQ2 advocates say they’re moving quickly to file a legal challenge.

One bill would require children under 16 to have parental consent if they want to change their names or pronouns at school.

A similar law governs school policy in Saskatchewan, where the government invoked the notwithstanding clause, a measure that allows governments to override certain Charter rights for up to five years.

Smith says the bills are reasonable attempts to protect children, but she declined to say whether she would use the notwithstanding clause to keep the laws on the books if court challenges are successful.

Story continues below advertisement

Canada
Canada's New Arctic Foreign Policy: What's In, What's Missing, What's Next
If the U.S. doesn’t want to trade, let’s try Britain: David Collins in the Financial Post