Poilievre wants to bring back laws the Supreme Court called cruel — and this time, he wants to block the courts from saying no.
That should worry anyone who values their rights. Because what we’re seeing from Conservative politicians in Canada is a warning. They are telling us, out loud, that they plan to override our freedoms if they win.
Pierre Poilievre is openly discussing using the notwithstanding clause, a constitutional tool that lets governments bypass the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in exceptional situations—to silence any challenge from the courts. It’s being sold to the public as a way to crack down on violent offenders, but I don’t buy it.
I believe that once a government gets comfortable overriding rights, there is no limit to how far it will go.
And we’ve already seen that in action.
In Ontario, in 2022, Doug Ford’s government used the clause to stop a legal strike by CUPE education workers – people who care for our kids and keep our schools functioning. The justification was framed as “keeping kids in school” post-COVID, but what it did was override the workers’ Charter right to collective bargaining. And, it showed us how easy it is for governments to trample labour rights when they feel like it. The bill was repealed.
Bill C-51 is the so-called Anti-Terrorism Act that passed under Stephen Harper in 2015. That law massively expanded surveillance powers in Canada. It gave CSIS, our intelligence agency, not just the power to collect information—but to actively “disrupt” what it considers threats. It lowered the legal threshold for surveillance and allowed more than 17 federal departments to share citizens’ private information. This dramatically expanded who can watch you and why—without you ever knowing. It also enlarged the definition of “threats to Canada” to include vague terms like “interference with infrastructure” or “economic harm.” Civil liberties groups immediately warned that peaceful protesters and Indigenous activists could be targeted—and they were right.
Investigations revealed that the RCMP and CSIS were monitoring groups like Idle No More and pipeline protestors. Not violent extremists but citizens exercising their right to dissent. Daniel Therrien, the federal Privacy Commissioner at the time, sounded the alarm, warning that the bill lacked oversight and gave government agencies the power to spy on Canadians who had done nothing wrong. His fears were validated when a Federal Court ruling found that CSIS had illegally retained data on Canadians and had misled the court about its actions. The judge called it “unacceptable” and in breach of the agency’s duty. This bill still exists with some reforms under Bill C-59.
In Alberta, under the leadership of Jason Kenney and later Danielle Smith, the government launched what could be seen as an ideological war on public education. Curriculums were rewritten to remove or downplay content about Indigenous history and LGBTQ+ communities. At the same time, universities experienced deep funding cuts, leading to mass layoffs and faculty restructuring while academic freedom came under attack. All of this was justified in the name of reducing costs and returning to someone’s arbitrary take on “traditional values”. But the real impact has been a chilling effect on what educators can teach, how they can teach it, and who feels welcome in the classroom.
Now, federally, Pierre Poilievre and members of the Conservative Party are talking about defunding what they call “woke universities.” They argue these institutions are indoctrinating students and silencing conservative voices. But what they’re really doing is threatening to withhold funding from any school that dares to promote inclusion, equity, or critical thought. This isn’t about free speech—it’s about punishing speech they don’t agree with.
If you still don’t understand that Canada is very vulnerable to the erosion of rights you have only to look south of the border where a massive loss of rights – once thought to be impossible in the “land of the free” – is now happening on a daily basis.
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court—stacked with right-wing appointees—overturned Roe v. Wade, ending nearly 50 years of constitutional protection for abortion. Overnight, millions of women lost access to essential health care. States rushed to enact bans, some without exceptions for rape or incest. This didn’t come out of nowhere—it was the result of decades of organized, strategic attacks on civil rights.
In Canada, Pierre Poilievre promised not to legislate against abortion. However, in June 2023 every Conservative MP voted in favour of Bill C-311 – a private member’s bill that sought to make it a more serious crime if someone injured a pregrant woman and caused harm to the fetus – opening the door to “fetal personhood” / fetal rights. (This is a legal argument used in other countries to restrict abortion). Though the bill was defeated in the HOC soon after, it highlights a striking disconnect between the party’s public promises and the real actions of its members.
Around the same time, Republican-led states like Florida and Oklahoma began passing laws designed to criminalize protest. New legislation increased penalties for demonstrators and even shielded drivers who hit protestors with their cars. These laws were framed as measures to maintain public safety after the George Floyd uprisings, but their true purpose was clear: to intimidate and silence people demanding justice.
Meanwhile, American journalists covering protests were arrested and assaulted in shocking numbers. Between 2020 and 2021, more than a hundred reporters were detained or physically attacked by police while simply doing their jobs. Many of these incidents were caught on camera. Their crime? Trying to inform the public. The message was unmistakable: if you shine too much light, you might be next. Donald Trump’s frequent labelling of the media as the “enemy of the people” has created an environment of suspicion with respect to journalism.
And in the U.K., things aren’t much better. In 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government passed the Public Order Act, a sweeping law that gave police the power to preemptively shut down any protest they deemed “disruptive.” The legislation was framed as a reasonable response to environmental activism and commuter blockades, but its real function has been to criminalize peaceful protest altogether. Since its passing, people have been arrested for slow marching, holding signs, or even silently demonstrating in public spaces.
Modern authoritarianism isn’t so much about waving guns or rolling tanks through the streets. These days, it slips in wearing a suit and quoting legislation. It starves dissenters of resources, silences watchdogs with budget cuts, and buries democratic institutions under red tape and “reform.” The new boot on your neck—is having your funding pulled, your protest permit denied and your rights overridden quietly, behind closed doors – and always, always for “the good of the nation”.
It scares me because I can see our rights and freedoms being eroded.
The people behind these moves—wealthy elites and corporate interests represented by populist strongmen—are well organized. They’re behind a coordinated strategy to shrink your rights, defund your institutions, suppress your voice, and control the narrative. And they’re doing it while waving flags and cheering on freedom. Why? Because your rights get in the way of their profit. Because a well-informed, empowered public is harder to control. It’s easier—and far more profitable—to manipulate a population that’s divided, distracted, and too exhausted to fight back.
While the Conservative Party has been front and centre when it comes to using tools like the notwithstanding clause and pushing policies that threaten democratic norms, it wouldn’t be fair—or accurate—to say they’re alone in this. Other parties, including the Liberals, have made moves that raise their own concerns, whether it’s political interference, quiet deals that favour corporate interests, or simply looking the other way when it’s more convenient. If we care about protecting our rights and freedoms, we need to stay alert—no matter who’s in power. The problem isn’t limited to just one party. It’s a system that too often works for the wealthy and not the rest of us.
We are running out of time. If we don’t understand that our rights are under attack and protect them now, we will lose them.
And if we lose them, we may never get them back.