Get a government job and coast into retirement. The hell with everyone else. That is who we are.
Mark Carney (Trudeau Liberal Replacement) as PM
- Thread starter Ron in Regina
- Start date
Yup my dad always told me to get a government job for that exact reason , sadly I didn’t listen .
I worked with a lady that was originally from NFLD. She told us how she was working with us temporarily b'cuz she wanted to get on to a government job, in this case, WCB. Sure enough, after about a year, she quit as she got a position at the WCB. She wanted the experience so that she could go back to NFLD & get a government job there. BOTH of her parents had government jobs & she wanted one too. Last I heard, she was back in NFLD working for the government there. Don't know if it was with WCB there or another department. At least she had a goal!! 
Liberals have nine percentage point lead over Conservatives: Poll
Mark Carney has a 63 per cent approval rating compared to 39 per cent for Pierre Poilievre
Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Feb 16, 2026 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
An elector casts a ballot in the 2025 federal election.
An elector casts a ballot in the 2025 federal election. Photo by HANDOUT /Elections Canada
A new national survey reveals if a federal election were held today, the Liberal Party would hold a substantial nine-point lead over the Conservatives.
The poll, done by Liaison Strategies, found among decided and leaning voters, the Liberals hold 43% support, while the Conservatives stand at 34%.
“It looks like we are settling into a new normal with the Liberals consistently posting strong leads over the Conservatives. So far, we don’t see very much movement,” David Valentin, principal at Liaison Strategies, said in a statement.
“Regionally, the Liberals show strong support in Atlantic Canada (59%) and Ontario (47%), while the Conservatives maintain their stronghold in Alberta with 53%.
“Demographically, the Liberals see their highest levels of support among voters aged 50-64 (51%), whereas the Conservatives are most competitive in the 18-34 and 35-49 age brackets, where they are tied or close to the Liberals.”
The New Democratic Party (NDP) follows with 10%, while the Bloc Quebecois holds 6% nationally and the Green Party and the People’s Party (PPC) are tied at 2% each.
Carney scores high while Poilievre doesn’t
The Weekly Federal Tracker shows high approval ratings for Prime Minister Mark Carney, while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre continues to face high unfavourable numbers.
“Prime Minister Mark Carney continues to enjoy strong public support, with a national approval rating of 63%,” said Valentin.
“Only 32% of Canadians disapprove of his performance, while 5% remain unsure. Carney’s approval is highest in Ontario (70%) and among those aged 65 and older (68%).
“In contrast, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre faces a net unfavourable rating. Currently, 39% of Canadians view him favourably, while 52% hold an unfavourable view. His highest favourability is found in Alberta (55%) and among voters aged 18–34 (47%).”
Liaison surveyed a random sample of 1,000 Canadians from Feb. 2-14, using Interactive Voice Recording (IVR) technology The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
jstevenson@postmedia.com
torontosun.com
Mark Carney has a 63 per cent approval rating compared to 39 per cent for Pierre Poilievre
Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Feb 16, 2026 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read
An elector casts a ballot in the 2025 federal election.
An elector casts a ballot in the 2025 federal election. Photo by HANDOUT /Elections Canada
A new national survey reveals if a federal election were held today, the Liberal Party would hold a substantial nine-point lead over the Conservatives.
The poll, done by Liaison Strategies, found among decided and leaning voters, the Liberals hold 43% support, while the Conservatives stand at 34%.
“It looks like we are settling into a new normal with the Liberals consistently posting strong leads over the Conservatives. So far, we don’t see very much movement,” David Valentin, principal at Liaison Strategies, said in a statement.
“Regionally, the Liberals show strong support in Atlantic Canada (59%) and Ontario (47%), while the Conservatives maintain their stronghold in Alberta with 53%.
“Demographically, the Liberals see their highest levels of support among voters aged 50-64 (51%), whereas the Conservatives are most competitive in the 18-34 and 35-49 age brackets, where they are tied or close to the Liberals.”
The New Democratic Party (NDP) follows with 10%, while the Bloc Quebecois holds 6% nationally and the Green Party and the People’s Party (PPC) are tied at 2% each.
Carney scores high while Poilievre doesn’t
The Weekly Federal Tracker shows high approval ratings for Prime Minister Mark Carney, while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre continues to face high unfavourable numbers.
“Prime Minister Mark Carney continues to enjoy strong public support, with a national approval rating of 63%,” said Valentin.
“Only 32% of Canadians disapprove of his performance, while 5% remain unsure. Carney’s approval is highest in Ontario (70%) and among those aged 65 and older (68%).
“In contrast, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre faces a net unfavourable rating. Currently, 39% of Canadians view him favourably, while 52% hold an unfavourable view. His highest favourability is found in Alberta (55%) and among voters aged 18–34 (47%).”
Liaison surveyed a random sample of 1,000 Canadians from Feb. 2-14, using Interactive Voice Recording (IVR) technology The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
jstevenson@postmedia.com
Liberals have nine percentage point lead over Conservatives: Poll
A new survey says if a federal election were held today the Liberals would have a 9 point lead over the Conservatives. Read more.
Winnipeg man charged with uttering death threats against Mark Carney, others
Online threats against politicians have grown in recent years after 2023 terror attacks in Israel
Author of the articleostmedia News
Published Mar 02, 2026 • 2 minute read
Threats allegedly made against Prime Minister Mark Carney on social media have a Winnipeg man facing numerous charges.
RCMP investigators said a 55-year-old man whom police declined to name allegedly posted multiple threats against the prime minister on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The accused’s comments, which also allegedly incited hatred against members of the Jewish and Muslim communities, sparked the RCMP to launch a national security investigation earlier this year.
Only identified by the RCMP as a 55-year-old male from Winnipeg, police said the accused was arrested last month and charged with three counts of uttering threats to cause death.
The accused is scheduled to appear in court next week, The Canadian Press reported.
Online threats against politicians increasing
Increasing anger online has resulted in a stark increase in threats made against Canadian politicians — particularly after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks.
Deputy Conservative Leader Melissa Lantsman found her constituency office in Thornhill vandalized with anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiments in 2024, prompting her to become part of a growing number of politicians with police protection details.
Anti-Israel activists have also staged intimidation rallies outside the offices and private homes of several politicians, including Melanie Joly, Bill Blair, Arif Virani, Anita Anand and Chrystia Freeland.
Excluding the prime minister, the RCMP said in 2024 that it cost $2.5 million to provide police protection to parliamentarians in the latter three quarters of 2023.
That represented a 40% increase from the previous year.
Justin Trudeau popular target for threats
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau was a popular target of threats, including a Montreal man charged in February 2024 for allegedly threatening to kill him, just weeks after a Quebec man pleaded guilty to publishing videos threatening to kill Trudeau and Quebec Premier Francois Legault.
The man in that case, Germain Lemay, 30, also threatened to kill any police officer who attempted to enter his property and made threats against Quebec’s workplace health and safety board.
Lemay was shot and injured by Surete du Quebec officers in an attempt to arrest him the previous September.
In August 2024, a 33-year-old Ontario man was charged with two counts of uttering threats against Trudeau, the police and security personnel.
— With files from The Canadian Press.
torontosun.com
Online threats against politicians have grown in recent years after 2023 terror attacks in Israel
Author of the article
ostmedia NewsPublished Mar 02, 2026 • 2 minute read
Threats allegedly made against Prime Minister Mark Carney on social media have a Winnipeg man facing numerous charges.
RCMP investigators said a 55-year-old man whom police declined to name allegedly posted multiple threats against the prime minister on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The accused’s comments, which also allegedly incited hatred against members of the Jewish and Muslim communities, sparked the RCMP to launch a national security investigation earlier this year.
Only identified by the RCMP as a 55-year-old male from Winnipeg, police said the accused was arrested last month and charged with three counts of uttering threats to cause death.
The accused is scheduled to appear in court next week, The Canadian Press reported.
Online threats against politicians increasing
Increasing anger online has resulted in a stark increase in threats made against Canadian politicians — particularly after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks.
Deputy Conservative Leader Melissa Lantsman found her constituency office in Thornhill vandalized with anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiments in 2024, prompting her to become part of a growing number of politicians with police protection details.
Anti-Israel activists have also staged intimidation rallies outside the offices and private homes of several politicians, including Melanie Joly, Bill Blair, Arif Virani, Anita Anand and Chrystia Freeland.
Excluding the prime minister, the RCMP said in 2024 that it cost $2.5 million to provide police protection to parliamentarians in the latter three quarters of 2023.
That represented a 40% increase from the previous year.
Justin Trudeau popular target for threats
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau was a popular target of threats, including a Montreal man charged in February 2024 for allegedly threatening to kill him, just weeks after a Quebec man pleaded guilty to publishing videos threatening to kill Trudeau and Quebec Premier Francois Legault.
The man in that case, Germain Lemay, 30, also threatened to kill any police officer who attempted to enter his property and made threats against Quebec’s workplace health and safety board.
Lemay was shot and injured by Surete du Quebec officers in an attempt to arrest him the previous September.
In August 2024, a 33-year-old Ontario man was charged with two counts of uttering threats against Trudeau, the police and security personnel.
— With files from The Canadian Press.
Winnipeg man charged with uttering death threats against Mark Carney, others
The RCMP isn't releasing the identity of a Winnipeg man charged with levelling online threats against Prime Minister Mark Carney. Read more.
Why three byelections could hand Liberals majority government
April byelections in Toronto, Montreal area could give Mark Carney control in House of Commons
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Mar 09, 2026 • 3 minute read
You better get used to the idea that Mark Carney will soon be leading a Liberal majority government.
Carney called three byelections on Sunday – two in Toronto and one in the Montreal area – and if his party wins all three of them, the Liberals will have majority control in the House of Commons.
Why the Liberals could sweep upcoming byelections
Thanks to a couple of advantages the Liberals have that their opponents do not, it’s very likely they sweep all three.
The two Toronto ridings are quite safe with the Liberals winning Scarborough Southwest in all but two elections since 1980 and in recent years the Liberals have received more than 50% of the vote. In University–Rosedale, Chrystia Freeland easily won this riding last April with 64% of the vote, which is a pretty good sign the Liberals will hold it.
The Terrebonne riding, which sits just north of Montreal, is more difficult for the Liberals to attain, but they are still likely to win.
Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste defeated Bloc Quebecois candidate and then sitting MP Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagne by one vote. A woman who said that she had voted for the Bloc Quebecois via a mail-in ballot came forward two weeks after the election saying her ballot had been returned to her because Elections Canada had printed the wrong address on the mail-in package.
The court challenge to Auguste’s victory ended up in the Supreme Court, which ordered a new election last month.
Money, manpower give Liberals advantage over Bloc
You know that the Bloc Quebecois is going to work hard to take back the riding that the party had held for years. The Liberals, though, have a strong appetite to secure that majority government and they also will have the benefit of spending more money and attracting more volunteers.
The byelection takes place on April 13, just days after thousands of Liberals descend on Montreal for their party’s convention. Many of those delegates will take time to go door-knocking and campaigning for Auguste while in town and some may even arrive early to help with advance voting the weekend before or stay until Monday to help get out the vote on election day.
Then there is the money advantage.
How national campaign spending helps Liberals
Each candidate in a byelection gets a certain spending cap. In the byelection last summer in Alberta’s Battle River–Crowfoot riding, the candidate limit was $163,276.
Each party represented by a candidate in that byelection could also spend $110,147.
The money the parties are spending, though, doesn’t need to be spent in each of the designated ridings being contested. It is considered a national campaign spending limit and with the Liberals running candidates in all three ridings and the Bloc running in just one, the Liberals have the advantage.
Liberals likely to allocate most resources
Fred Delorey, a longtime Conservative political operative who has held senior roles in many campaigns and managed Erin O’Toole’s 2021 campaign, wrote about this advantage recently on Substack.
“In practice, the Liberals have little need to allocate resources to the two safe Toronto contests and can concentrate virtually all of its allowable national spending in Terrebonne,” DeLorey wrote.
“The Bloc Quebecois cannot do the same. Because it runs candidates only in Quebec, its ‘national’ spending limit is effectively tied to a single riding — unless it makes the unusual decision to field candidates outside Quebec solely to expand its cap.”
To put this in practical terms, the Liberals will likely be able to spend $330,000 on these three byelections and concentrate almost all of it in Terrebonne. The Bloc will be limited to about $110,000.
Terrebonne could still prevent Liberal majority
Money isn’t everything in an election, but it matters.
There are many twists and turns that could happen to see the Bloc Quebecois win in Terrebonne. People who normally support the Conservatives or the NDP could throw their support behind the Bloc to block a Liberal majority.
They could also just stay home, as most voters do in byelections.
People who vote with their money are betting on a Liberal victory. Users of Polymarket, the cryptocurrency-based prediction market, say there is a 71% chance of Carney getting a majority by June 30, up from an 18% chance just a few weeks ago.
On April 13, chances are that Carney will secure his majority. It may be a slim one, but it will still be a majority.
polymarket.com
freddelorey.substack.com
torontosun.com
April byelections in Toronto, Montreal area could give Mark Carney control in House of Commons
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Mar 09, 2026 • 3 minute read
You better get used to the idea that Mark Carney will soon be leading a Liberal majority government.
Carney called three byelections on Sunday – two in Toronto and one in the Montreal area – and if his party wins all three of them, the Liberals will have majority control in the House of Commons.
Why the Liberals could sweep upcoming byelections
Thanks to a couple of advantages the Liberals have that their opponents do not, it’s very likely they sweep all three.
The two Toronto ridings are quite safe with the Liberals winning Scarborough Southwest in all but two elections since 1980 and in recent years the Liberals have received more than 50% of the vote. In University–Rosedale, Chrystia Freeland easily won this riding last April with 64% of the vote, which is a pretty good sign the Liberals will hold it.
The Terrebonne riding, which sits just north of Montreal, is more difficult for the Liberals to attain, but they are still likely to win.
Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste defeated Bloc Quebecois candidate and then sitting MP Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagne by one vote. A woman who said that she had voted for the Bloc Quebecois via a mail-in ballot came forward two weeks after the election saying her ballot had been returned to her because Elections Canada had printed the wrong address on the mail-in package.
The court challenge to Auguste’s victory ended up in the Supreme Court, which ordered a new election last month.
Money, manpower give Liberals advantage over Bloc
You know that the Bloc Quebecois is going to work hard to take back the riding that the party had held for years. The Liberals, though, have a strong appetite to secure that majority government and they also will have the benefit of spending more money and attracting more volunteers.
The byelection takes place on April 13, just days after thousands of Liberals descend on Montreal for their party’s convention. Many of those delegates will take time to go door-knocking and campaigning for Auguste while in town and some may even arrive early to help with advance voting the weekend before or stay until Monday to help get out the vote on election day.
Then there is the money advantage.
How national campaign spending helps Liberals
Each candidate in a byelection gets a certain spending cap. In the byelection last summer in Alberta’s Battle River–Crowfoot riding, the candidate limit was $163,276.
Each party represented by a candidate in that byelection could also spend $110,147.
The money the parties are spending, though, doesn’t need to be spent in each of the designated ridings being contested. It is considered a national campaign spending limit and with the Liberals running candidates in all three ridings and the Bloc running in just one, the Liberals have the advantage.
Liberals likely to allocate most resources
Fred Delorey, a longtime Conservative political operative who has held senior roles in many campaigns and managed Erin O’Toole’s 2021 campaign, wrote about this advantage recently on Substack.
“In practice, the Liberals have little need to allocate resources to the two safe Toronto contests and can concentrate virtually all of its allowable national spending in Terrebonne,” DeLorey wrote.
“The Bloc Quebecois cannot do the same. Because it runs candidates only in Quebec, its ‘national’ spending limit is effectively tied to a single riding — unless it makes the unusual decision to field candidates outside Quebec solely to expand its cap.”
To put this in practical terms, the Liberals will likely be able to spend $330,000 on these three byelections and concentrate almost all of it in Terrebonne. The Bloc will be limited to about $110,000.
Terrebonne could still prevent Liberal majority
Money isn’t everything in an election, but it matters.
There are many twists and turns that could happen to see the Bloc Quebecois win in Terrebonne. People who normally support the Conservatives or the NDP could throw their support behind the Bloc to block a Liberal majority.
They could also just stay home, as most voters do in byelections.
People who vote with their money are betting on a Liberal victory. Users of Polymarket, the cryptocurrency-based prediction market, say there is a 71% chance of Carney getting a majority by June 30, up from an 18% chance just a few weeks ago.
On April 13, chances are that Carney will secure his majority. It may be a slim one, but it will still be a majority.
Liberal majority in Canadian Parliament by June 30?
View real-time odds for "Liberal majority in Canadian Parliament by June 30?" as of March 10, 2026 and trade on The World's Largest Prediction Market™
polymarket.com
Liberals have a 3-to-1 spending advantage in a majority-deciding by-election
The spending rules behind Terrebonne’s rematch - and what they mean for control of the House
freddelorey.substack.com
LILLEY: Why three byelections could hand Liberals majority government
Three byelections in Toronto and Quebec could give Mark Carney’s Liberals majority control. Read on to find out why they’re favoured to win.
Well, we're doomed, that's for sure. Carney will then be able to implement all of the WEF's desires to take over since he has no vested interest in Canada.Why three byelections could hand Liberals majority government
April byelections in Toronto, Montreal area could give Mark Carney control in House of Commons
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Mar 09, 2026 • 3 minute read
You better get used to the idea that Mark Carney will soon be leading a Liberal majority government.
Carney called three byelections on Sunday – two in Toronto and one in the Montreal area – and if his party wins all three of them, the Liberals will have majority control in the House of Commons.
Why the Liberals could sweep upcoming byelections
Thanks to a couple of advantages the Liberals have that their opponents do not, it’s very likely they sweep all three.
The two Toronto ridings are quite safe with the Liberals winning Scarborough Southwest in all but two elections since 1980 and in recent years the Liberals have received more than 50% of the vote. In University–Rosedale, Chrystia Freeland easily won this riding last April with 64% of the vote, which is a pretty good sign the Liberals will hold it.
The Terrebonne riding, which sits just north of Montreal, is more difficult for the Liberals to attain, but they are still likely to win.
Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste defeated Bloc Quebecois candidate and then sitting MP Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagne by one vote. A woman who said that she had voted for the Bloc Quebecois via a mail-in ballot came forward two weeks after the election saying her ballot had been returned to her because Elections Canada had printed the wrong address on the mail-in package.
The court challenge to Auguste’s victory ended up in the Supreme Court, which ordered a new election last month.
Money, manpower give Liberals advantage over Bloc
You know that the Bloc Quebecois is going to work hard to take back the riding that the party had held for years. The Liberals, though, have a strong appetite to secure that majority government and they also will have the benefit of spending more money and attracting more volunteers.
The byelection takes place on April 13, just days after thousands of Liberals descend on Montreal for their party’s convention. Many of those delegates will take time to go door-knocking and campaigning for Auguste while in town and some may even arrive early to help with advance voting the weekend before or stay until Monday to help get out the vote on election day.
Then there is the money advantage.
How national campaign spending helps Liberals
Each candidate in a byelection gets a certain spending cap. In the byelection last summer in Alberta’s Battle River–Crowfoot riding, the candidate limit was $163,276.
Each party represented by a candidate in that byelection could also spend $110,147.
The money the parties are spending, though, doesn’t need to be spent in each of the designated ridings being contested. It is considered a national campaign spending limit and with the Liberals running candidates in all three ridings and the Bloc running in just one, the Liberals have the advantage.
Liberals likely to allocate most resources
Fred Delorey, a longtime Conservative political operative who has held senior roles in many campaigns and managed Erin O’Toole’s 2021 campaign, wrote about this advantage recently on Substack.
“In practice, the Liberals have little need to allocate resources to the two safe Toronto contests and can concentrate virtually all of its allowable national spending in Terrebonne,” DeLorey wrote.
“The Bloc Quebecois cannot do the same. Because it runs candidates only in Quebec, its ‘national’ spending limit is effectively tied to a single riding — unless it makes the unusual decision to field candidates outside Quebec solely to expand its cap.”
To put this in practical terms, the Liberals will likely be able to spend $330,000 on these three byelections and concentrate almost all of it in Terrebonne. The Bloc will be limited to about $110,000.
Terrebonne could still prevent Liberal majority
Money isn’t everything in an election, but it matters.
There are many twists and turns that could happen to see the Bloc Quebecois win in Terrebonne. People who normally support the Conservatives or the NDP could throw their support behind the Bloc to block a Liberal majority.
They could also just stay home, as most voters do in byelections.
People who vote with their money are betting on a Liberal victory. Users of Polymarket, the cryptocurrency-based prediction market, say there is a 71% chance of Carney getting a majority by June 30, up from an 18% chance just a few weeks ago.
On April 13, chances are that Carney will secure his majority. It may be a slim one, but it will still be a majority.
Liberal majority in Canadian Parliament by June 30?
View real-time odds for "Liberal majority in Canadian Parliament by June 30?" as of March 10, 2026 and trade on The World's Largest Prediction Market™Liberals have a 3-to-1 spending advantage in a majority-deciding by-election
The spending rules behind Terrebonne’s rematch - and what they mean for control of the HouseLILLEY: Why three byelections could hand Liberals majority government
Three byelections in Toronto and Quebec could give Mark Carney’s Liberals majority control. Read on to find out why they’re favoured to win.
Come now all the cool kids support the WEF , Trudeau , Carney , Freeland , Zelinski, Starmer Marcon and the EU leadership . Shouldn’t that august group set Canada’s agenda, after all they are cool .
Michael Ma’s floor crossing from the Conservatives to the Liberals was so shameless, it’s almost worthy of respect. There was no issue of conscience that Ma was wrestling with, no loud calls from his constituents that he must aid Prime Minister Mark Carney’s quest for a majority, no apparent fallout with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
In fact, there doesn’t appear to be any reason at all, least of all a defensible one, for why the rookie MP, having just been elected less than eight months ago, needed to change parties. Ma, of course, tried to spin it all as a matter of principle, saying in a statement issued by the Liberals that his decision was made after “listening carefully to the people of Markham–Unionville in recent weeks.” (?)
Those would be the very same people who, again, just sent him to Ottawa as a Conservative in April.
While parliamentary convention permits floor crossing, the whole business is embarrassing for everyone involved, kind of like how there is no law against adultery. It is hard to overstate just how cynical this floor crossing is. The day before being welcomed with applause at the Liberal Christmas party, Ma danced at the Conservative Christmas party and was photographed with Poilievre and his wife, Anaida.
Carson Jerema: Holy cow, Michael Ma is shameless — National Post
The newly minted Liberal was dancing at the Conservative Christmas party the night before crossing the floorapple.news
NDP's Davies says Idlout's decision to join Liberals overrides 'sacred trust' of ballot box — CBC News
Interim NDP Leader Don Davies said Prime Minister Mark Carney was working to overrule the wishes of voters in the pursuit of a majority in the House of Commons after one of his party's MPs defected to the Liberals.
With Idlout's defection the Liberals now have 170 seats, two short of a majority in the 343-seat House of Commons, but three byelections on April 13 could see that reality soon change.
Mark Carney Liberals continue to outpace struggling Tories in polls
45% of respondents said they'd vote Liberal if the election were held today, 14 points ahead of the Pierre Poilievre Conservatives
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Published Mar 16, 2026 • Last updated 14 hours ago • 2 minute read
Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney chat while standing
Leader of the Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre, left, speaks with Prime Minister Mark Carney before Question Period, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. Photo by Adrian Wyld /Canadian Press
OTTAWA — As Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre spends the week garnering support for Canada south of the border, his Conservatives continue to lose ground against the Mark Carney Liberals.
In new poll numbers published Monday by Liaison Strategies, the Mark Carney Liberals now maintain a 14 percentage point lead over the Conservatives — commanding 45% support among those polled.
The Conservatives trail the Liberals with 31%, followed by the federal NDP in a distant third place at 8%.
That’s just ahead of the Bloc Québécois at six per cent, the People’s Party of Canada at four per cent, and the Green Party rounding out the basement at just three per cent support.
Carney effect still going strong, but numbers are softening
Liaison Strategies principal David Valentin referred to the PM’s surge of support as the “Carney effect” — a high he and the federal Liberals have enjoyed since the PM’s January speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, but said that momentum is starting to wane.
“Particularly notable is the Liberal strength in Ontario and Atlantic Canada, which remains the bedrock of their current lead,” Valentin said. “While Mark Carney’s approval remains high at 63%, we are seeing a slight softening this week as his disapproval rating climbed two points to 33%. The momentum we saw heading into March appears to have leveled off, with the numbers returning to the stable range seen throughout February.”
Respondents who disapprove of Carney’s performance saw a significant fall from the PM’s all-time high of near 40% at the beginning of 2026, but increased slightly from last week.
Carney’s highest approval ratings come from the historically Liberal-supporting Atlantic provinces, with 70% in that region saying they approve of the PM’s performance.
That’s just two points ahead of Ontario, and seven points ahead of Quebec.
Poilievre Tories still having a hard time making inroads
Poilievre, on the other hand, continues to face challenges in getting Canadians to buy into his brand as his favourability increases slightly to 38%.
“His unfavourability has dropped from 54% to 52%, but it remains stubbornly high,” Valentin said. “The current 14-point gap between his favourability and unfavourability highlights the hurdle the Conservatives face in broadening their appeal as they move further into 2026”.
The poll was conducted between March 2 and March 14 among a random sample of 1,000 adult Canadians, weighted to match targets from the 2021 census, with a margin of error of ±3.1%, 19 times out of 20.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
torontosun.com
45% of respondents said they'd vote Liberal if the election were held today, 14 points ahead of the Pierre Poilievre Conservatives
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Published Mar 16, 2026 • Last updated 14 hours ago • 2 minute read
Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney chat while standing
Leader of the Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre, left, speaks with Prime Minister Mark Carney before Question Period, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. Photo by Adrian Wyld /Canadian Press
OTTAWA — As Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre spends the week garnering support for Canada south of the border, his Conservatives continue to lose ground against the Mark Carney Liberals.
In new poll numbers published Monday by Liaison Strategies, the Mark Carney Liberals now maintain a 14 percentage point lead over the Conservatives — commanding 45% support among those polled.
The Conservatives trail the Liberals with 31%, followed by the federal NDP in a distant third place at 8%.
That’s just ahead of the Bloc Québécois at six per cent, the People’s Party of Canada at four per cent, and the Green Party rounding out the basement at just three per cent support.
Carney effect still going strong, but numbers are softening
Liaison Strategies principal David Valentin referred to the PM’s surge of support as the “Carney effect” — a high he and the federal Liberals have enjoyed since the PM’s January speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, but said that momentum is starting to wane.
“Particularly notable is the Liberal strength in Ontario and Atlantic Canada, which remains the bedrock of their current lead,” Valentin said. “While Mark Carney’s approval remains high at 63%, we are seeing a slight softening this week as his disapproval rating climbed two points to 33%. The momentum we saw heading into March appears to have leveled off, with the numbers returning to the stable range seen throughout February.”
Respondents who disapprove of Carney’s performance saw a significant fall from the PM’s all-time high of near 40% at the beginning of 2026, but increased slightly from last week.
Carney’s highest approval ratings come from the historically Liberal-supporting Atlantic provinces, with 70% in that region saying they approve of the PM’s performance.
That’s just two points ahead of Ontario, and seven points ahead of Quebec.
Poilievre Tories still having a hard time making inroads
Poilievre, on the other hand, continues to face challenges in getting Canadians to buy into his brand as his favourability increases slightly to 38%.
“His unfavourability has dropped from 54% to 52%, but it remains stubbornly high,” Valentin said. “The current 14-point gap between his favourability and unfavourability highlights the hurdle the Conservatives face in broadening their appeal as they move further into 2026”.
The poll was conducted between March 2 and March 14 among a random sample of 1,000 adult Canadians, weighted to match targets from the 2021 census, with a margin of error of ±3.1%, 19 times out of 20.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
Mark Carney Liberals continue to outpace struggling Tories in polls
While the PM's approval remains high, Mark Carney's disapproval rating is starting to climb, says Liaison Strategy. Read more.
Sad isn't it? The Liberal propaganda is working & has worked in the East at least!! Unfortunately, the lower fruit is being well manipulated, even in Alberta!!Mark Carney Liberals continue to outpace struggling Tories in polls
45% of respondents said they'd vote Liberal if the election were held today, 14 points ahead of the Pierre Poilievre Conservatives
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Published Mar 16, 2026 • Last updated 14 hours ago • 2 minute read
Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney chat while standing
Leader of the Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre, left, speaks with Prime Minister Mark Carney before Question Period, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. Photo by Adrian Wyld /Canadian Press
OTTAWA — As Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre spends the week garnering support for Canada south of the border, his Conservatives continue to lose ground against the Mark Carney Liberals.
In new poll numbers published Monday by Liaison Strategies, the Mark Carney Liberals now maintain a 14 percentage point lead over the Conservatives — commanding 45% support among those polled.
The Conservatives trail the Liberals with 31%, followed by the federal NDP in a distant third place at 8%.
That’s just ahead of the Bloc Québécois at six per cent, the People’s Party of Canada at four per cent, and the Green Party rounding out the basement at just three per cent support.
Carney effect still going strong, but numbers are softening
Liaison Strategies principal David Valentin referred to the PM’s surge of support as the “Carney effect” — a high he and the federal Liberals have enjoyed since the PM’s January speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, but said that momentum is starting to wane.
“Particularly notable is the Liberal strength in Ontario and Atlantic Canada, which remains the bedrock of their current lead,” Valentin said. “While Mark Carney’s approval remains high at 63%, we are seeing a slight softening this week as his disapproval rating climbed two points to 33%. The momentum we saw heading into March appears to have leveled off, with the numbers returning to the stable range seen throughout February.”
Respondents who disapprove of Carney’s performance saw a significant fall from the PM’s all-time high of near 40% at the beginning of 2026, but increased slightly from last week.
Carney’s highest approval ratings come from the historically Liberal-supporting Atlantic provinces, with 70% in that region saying they approve of the PM’s performance.
That’s just two points ahead of Ontario, and seven points ahead of Quebec.
Poilievre Tories still having a hard time making inroads
Poilievre, on the other hand, continues to face challenges in getting Canadians to buy into his brand as his favourability increases slightly to 38%.
“His unfavourability has dropped from 54% to 52%, but it remains stubbornly high,” Valentin said. “The current 14-point gap between his favourability and unfavourability highlights the hurdle the Conservatives face in broadening their appeal as they move further into 2026”.
The poll was conducted between March 2 and March 14 among a random sample of 1,000 adult Canadians, weighted to match targets from the 2021 census, with a margin of error of ±3.1%, 19 times out of 20.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
Mark Carney Liberals continue to outpace struggling Tories in polls
While the PM's approval remains high, Mark Carney's disapproval rating is starting to climb, says Liaison Strategy. Read more.
They have been sold a bill of goods that says Everything wrong in this world is due to Trump . And bought it hook line and sinker . I can’t believe how many people believe Carney is doing a great job , no mention of mounting debt and increasing deficits . No idea about Brookfield Asset Management’s incesstuas
Woman who threatened Mark Carney is no free speech hero
Viral video shows woman berating cops for asking about her social media posts, but you should see what she said.
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Mar 18, 2026 • Last updated 5 hours ago • 3 minute read
A screenshot from video posted by Nicole Pearen Miske, who was visited by Toronto Police over a social media post about Mark Carney.
A screenshot from video posted by Nicole Pearen Miske, who was visited by Toronto Police over a social media post about Mark Carney.
A Toronto woman who made online threats against Prime Minister Mark Carney is being held up as a martyr for freedom of speech when, in reality, she’s a public nuisance and possible danger.
Nicole Pearen Miske, posted about Carney on Feb. 10 and made a threat that police found out about and had to investigate.
This isn’t a case of cops showing up to warn, harass or arrest people for so-called “offensive” social media posts. This is about making a public threat against the prime minister of our country.
Miske took a post from the group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, a radical left-wing group that wants neither justice nor peace in the Middle East, and reposted it with her own comments.
“YOU F***ING TRAITOR!!!!!!! F*** you f*** you f*** you! I’m coming for you, you suck (sic) twisted f***. You will get yours!,” Miske wrote.
Threat driven by hatred of Israel
She was upset over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu being allowed to fly through Canadian air space on his way to Washington. The CJPME post screamed “Canada gives safe passage to war criminal” and called on Carney to enforce an arrest warrant for Netanyahu issued by the International Criminal Court.
To give you an idea of how out of touch with reality CJPME and Miske are, the only way to do that as Netanyahu was flying through Canadian airspace would be to scramble fighter jets to intercept the Israeli plane. In other words, these supposedly peace-loving people wanted Canada to engage in an act of war to execute the arrest.
Back to the threat.
Threatening violence is illegal in Canada
Section 264.1 of the Criminal Code of Canada is clear, “Every one commits an offence who, in any manner, knowingly utters, conveys or causes any person to receive a threat to cause death or bodily harm to any person.” While it would be up to a court to determine whether her threat was a criminal offence, it appears that Miske not only uttered the threat, she uttered it against the prime minister of the country.
You don’t need to like our PM or support his policies to know that is wrong. For the police not to drop by and assess the situation would have been negligence on their part.
In a video posted to her Instagram account on March 5, Miske is seen speaking with two officers with the Toronto Police Service. As one of the officers is trying to speak with her, Miske is berating both of them and calling Carney some pretty despicable names.
WARNING: Below video contains foul language
“There’s some allegations that you’ve made, some online posts to the prime minister of Canada. Do you have anything to say about that?” the officer said.
“Can you be more specific? What post, what I specifically said? Do you have a screenshot?” Miske asked.
The officer responded that he did have the post and as he tried to pull it up on his phone, Miske went on a tirade.
“Because, I mean, he’s a Zionist scumbag, and he’s not my prime minister,” Miske said, “but really, you’re gonna come to my door and you’re worried that I’m going to do something. Do I seriously look like a threat to you?”
“That’s what we came to talk, right?” the officer said.
Police right to pay her a visit
From there she went on a profanity-laced rant about how the officers should be looking for real criminals, not harassing her, and that they can’t stop her from saying what she wants. While the officer tried to inform Miske that although she can have any opinion she wants, threats are a problem, it appeared to fall on deaf ears.
“Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I will say whatever the f*** I want about our prime minister. You can’t stop my speech,” she said just before closing the door on the officers.
Sorry, Nicole, but if your speech is threatening anyone, including the PM, police can and should stop your speech. No charges were laid in this case.
We never want to get to the point that Britain is at where police show up over hurt feelings. However, we also don’t want to get to the point where threatening violence against elected officials is tolerated.
blilley@postmedia.com
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torontosun.com
Viral video shows woman berating cops for asking about her social media posts, but you should see what she said.
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Mar 18, 2026 • Last updated 5 hours ago • 3 minute read
A screenshot from video posted by Nicole Pearen Miske, who was visited by Toronto Police over a social media post about Mark Carney.
A screenshot from video posted by Nicole Pearen Miske, who was visited by Toronto Police over a social media post about Mark Carney.
A Toronto woman who made online threats against Prime Minister Mark Carney is being held up as a martyr for freedom of speech when, in reality, she’s a public nuisance and possible danger.
Nicole Pearen Miske, posted about Carney on Feb. 10 and made a threat that police found out about and had to investigate.
This isn’t a case of cops showing up to warn, harass or arrest people for so-called “offensive” social media posts. This is about making a public threat against the prime minister of our country.
Miske took a post from the group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, a radical left-wing group that wants neither justice nor peace in the Middle East, and reposted it with her own comments.
“YOU F***ING TRAITOR!!!!!!! F*** you f*** you f*** you! I’m coming for you, you suck (sic) twisted f***. You will get yours!,” Miske wrote.
Threat driven by hatred of Israel
She was upset over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu being allowed to fly through Canadian air space on his way to Washington. The CJPME post screamed “Canada gives safe passage to war criminal” and called on Carney to enforce an arrest warrant for Netanyahu issued by the International Criminal Court.
To give you an idea of how out of touch with reality CJPME and Miske are, the only way to do that as Netanyahu was flying through Canadian airspace would be to scramble fighter jets to intercept the Israeli plane. In other words, these supposedly peace-loving people wanted Canada to engage in an act of war to execute the arrest.
Back to the threat.
Threatening violence is illegal in Canada
Section 264.1 of the Criminal Code of Canada is clear, “Every one commits an offence who, in any manner, knowingly utters, conveys or causes any person to receive a threat to cause death or bodily harm to any person.” While it would be up to a court to determine whether her threat was a criminal offence, it appears that Miske not only uttered the threat, she uttered it against the prime minister of the country.
You don’t need to like our PM or support his policies to know that is wrong. For the police not to drop by and assess the situation would have been negligence on their part.
In a video posted to her Instagram account on March 5, Miske is seen speaking with two officers with the Toronto Police Service. As one of the officers is trying to speak with her, Miske is berating both of them and calling Carney some pretty despicable names.
WARNING: Below video contains foul language
“There’s some allegations that you’ve made, some online posts to the prime minister of Canada. Do you have anything to say about that?” the officer said.
“Can you be more specific? What post, what I specifically said? Do you have a screenshot?” Miske asked.
The officer responded that he did have the post and as he tried to pull it up on his phone, Miske went on a tirade.
“Because, I mean, he’s a Zionist scumbag, and he’s not my prime minister,” Miske said, “but really, you’re gonna come to my door and you’re worried that I’m going to do something. Do I seriously look like a threat to you?”
“That’s what we came to talk, right?” the officer said.
Police right to pay her a visit
From there she went on a profanity-laced rant about how the officers should be looking for real criminals, not harassing her, and that they can’t stop her from saying what she wants. While the officer tried to inform Miske that although she can have any opinion she wants, threats are a problem, it appeared to fall on deaf ears.
“Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I will say whatever the f*** I want about our prime minister. You can’t stop my speech,” she said just before closing the door on the officers.
Sorry, Nicole, but if your speech is threatening anyone, including the PM, police can and should stop your speech. No charges were laid in this case.
We never want to get to the point that Britain is at where police show up over hurt feelings. However, we also don’t want to get to the point where threatening violence against elected officials is tolerated.
blilley@postmedia.com
Nicole C. Pearen Miske on Instagram: "@markjcarney YOU FUCKING TRAITOR!!!!!!! Fuck you fuck you fuck you! I'm coming for you, you suck twisted fuck. You will get yours! 😈🤬🤬🤬🇨🇦"
7 likes, 6 comments - gruvenmama on February 10, 2026: "@markjcarney YOU FUCKING TRAITOR!!!!!!! Fuck you fuck you fuck you! I'm coming for you, you suck twisted fuck. You will get yours! 😈🤬🤬🤬🇨🇦".
instagram.com
LILLEY: Woman who threatened Mark Carney is no free speech hero
Viral video shows a woman berating cops for asking about social media posts, but you should see what she said. Here's what you need to know.
Sounds like she's having phone sex with him. I don't see a threat of violence in there.
I understand her frustration for sure. Just don't threaten the PM on-line even if he deserves it.Woman who threatened Mark Carney is no free speech hero
Viral video shows woman berating cops for asking about her social media posts, but you should see what she said.
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published Mar 18, 2026 • Last updated 5 hours ago • 3 minute read
A screenshot from video posted by Nicole Pearen Miske, who was visited by Toronto Police over a social media post about Mark Carney.
A screenshot from video posted by Nicole Pearen Miske, who was visited by Toronto Police over a social media post about Mark Carney.
A Toronto woman who made online threats against Prime Minister Mark Carney is being held up as a martyr for freedom of speech when, in reality, she’s a public nuisance and possible danger.
Nicole Pearen Miske, posted about Carney on Feb. 10 and made a threat that police found out about and had to investigate.
This isn’t a case of cops showing up to warn, harass or arrest people for so-called “offensive” social media posts. This is about making a public threat against the prime minister of our country.
Miske took a post from the group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, a radical left-wing group that wants neither justice nor peace in the Middle East, and reposted it with her own comments.
“YOU F***ING TRAITOR!!!!!!! F*** you f*** you f*** you! I’m coming for you, you suck (sic) twisted f***. You will get yours!,” Miske wrote.
Threat driven by hatred of Israel
She was upset over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu being allowed to fly through Canadian air space on his way to Washington. The CJPME post screamed “Canada gives safe passage to war criminal” and called on Carney to enforce an arrest warrant for Netanyahu issued by the International Criminal Court.
To give you an idea of how out of touch with reality CJPME and Miske are, the only way to do that as Netanyahu was flying through Canadian airspace would be to scramble fighter jets to intercept the Israeli plane. In other words, these supposedly peace-loving people wanted Canada to engage in an act of war to execute the arrest.
Back to the threat.
Threatening violence is illegal in Canada
Section 264.1 of the Criminal Code of Canada is clear, “Every one commits an offence who, in any manner, knowingly utters, conveys or causes any person to receive a threat to cause death or bodily harm to any person.” While it would be up to a court to determine whether her threat was a criminal offence, it appears that Miske not only uttered the threat, she uttered it against the prime minister of the country.
You don’t need to like our PM or support his policies to know that is wrong. For the police not to drop by and assess the situation would have been negligence on their part.
In a video posted to her Instagram account on March 5, Miske is seen speaking with two officers with the Toronto Police Service. As one of the officers is trying to speak with her, Miske is berating both of them and calling Carney some pretty despicable names.
WARNING: Below video contains foul language
“There’s some allegations that you’ve made, some online posts to the prime minister of Canada. Do you have anything to say about that?” the officer said.
“Can you be more specific? What post, what I specifically said? Do you have a screenshot?” Miske asked.
The officer responded that he did have the post and as he tried to pull it up on his phone, Miske went on a tirade.
“Because, I mean, he’s a Zionist scumbag, and he’s not my prime minister,” Miske said, “but really, you’re gonna come to my door and you’re worried that I’m going to do something. Do I seriously look like a threat to you?”
“That’s what we came to talk, right?” the officer said.
Police right to pay her a visit
From there she went on a profanity-laced rant about how the officers should be looking for real criminals, not harassing her, and that they can’t stop her from saying what she wants. While the officer tried to inform Miske that although she can have any opinion she wants, threats are a problem, it appeared to fall on deaf ears.
“Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I will say whatever the f*** I want about our prime minister. You can’t stop my speech,” she said just before closing the door on the officers.
Sorry, Nicole, but if your speech is threatening anyone, including the PM, police can and should stop your speech. No charges were laid in this case.
We never want to get to the point that Britain is at where police show up over hurt feelings. However, we also don’t want to get to the point where threatening violence against elected officials is tolerated.
blilley@postmedia.com
Nicole C. Pearen Miske on Instagram: "@markjcarney YOU FUCKING TRAITOR!!!!!!! Fuck you fuck you fuck you! I'm coming for you, you suck twisted fuck. You will get yours! 😈🤬🤬🤬🇨🇦"
7 likes, 6 comments - gruvenmama on February 10, 2026: "@markjcarney YOU FUCKING TRAITOR!!!!!!! Fuck you fuck you fuck you! I'm coming for you, you suck twisted fuck. You will get yours! 😈🤬🤬🤬🇨🇦".LILLEY: Woman who threatened Mark Carney is no free speech hero
Viral video shows a woman berating cops for asking about social media posts, but you should see what she said. Here's what you need to know.
But, just wait, the frustration will grow under Carney's tutelage then we'll see just how complacent Canadians will continue to be.
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.
In 1981, Trudeau’s (Senior, not Junior) original draft of the Charter had no notwithstanding clause. Section 33 was added only after eight provincial premiers — the “Gang of Eight” — made it clear that they would not accept Trudeau’s proposed Charter without it. Hard late-night bargaining resulted in a compromise. Trudeau got his Charter. The provinces got the notwithstanding clause.
Without the “notwithstanding clause” there would be no charter. It was only agreed to if there was a “notwithstanding clause.”
The premiers knew from experience that the text of the Constitution does not speak for itself. At the end of the day, the Constitution means what judges say it means. In the worst-case scenario, Quebec and the Western premiers feared that Ottawa could use the Charter as a form of “disallowance in disguise,” a federal policy veto of provincial policies exercised by federal judges rather than by federal politicians.
Sensing the risk of losing the strategic value that the Supreme Court’s Charter decisions give to the federal government — i.e., disallowance in disguise — the Carney Liberals have now asked the Supreme Court to impose new restrictions on when and how a government (read: provincial government) can use the clause.
Carney’s government is asking the Court to rule that the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause is unconstitutional. Ottawa’s legal argument contradicts both the text of Section 33 and its clearly documented purpose.
That purpose was succinctly explained by former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed in 1983: “We needed to have the supremacy of the legislature over the courts. … we did not (want) to be in a position where public policy was being dictated or determined by non-elected people.”
Lougheed argued in a 1991 speech that the notwithstanding power provided Canada with a “system of checks and balances between the judiciary and legislators before judicial supremacy could assert itself.” He used the examples of both Great Britain and Australia to demonstrate that it is possible to have constitutional supremacy without judicial supremacy, the rule of law without the rule of lawyers.
That was the deal back in 1982. But now Carney wants to break it.
apple.news
Starting Tuesday, after opening statements on Monday, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear three days of legal arguments on Bill 21. Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan have intervened to support Quebec’s position: that its use of the notwithstanding clause prevents courts from even hearing a Charter challenge against Bill 21.
Forty rights advocacy groups — a who’s who of the Court Party, almost all of whom receive funding from Ottawa — have intervened to support the federal government’s position: that the notwithstanding clause cannot be used pre-emptively to prevent courts from ruling on the constitutional validity of Bill 21.
Cheered on by their Court Party supporters, will the nine Supremes — six of whom were appointed by Justin Trudeau — rule in favour of the Carney Liberals?
If they do, they will have effectively amended Section 33 to mean something very different than what Quebec, all the Western premiers and even the Trudeau government understood it to mean in 1982.
For the Supreme Court to impose any new restrictions on the use of the clause would be precisely the abuse of judicial review that Section 33 was designed to prevent.
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.
In 1981, Trudeau’s (Senior, not Junior) original draft of the Charter had no notwithstanding clause. Section 33 was added only after eight provincial premiers — the “Gang of Eight” — made it clear that they would not accept Trudeau’s proposed Charter without it. Hard late-night bargaining resulted in a compromise. Trudeau got his Charter. The provinces got the notwithstanding clause.
Without the “notwithstanding clause” there would be no charter. It was only agreed to if there was a “notwithstanding clause.”
The premiers knew from experience that the text of the Constitution does not speak for itself. At the end of the day, the Constitution means what judges say it means. In the worst-case scenario, Quebec and the Western premiers feared that Ottawa could use the Charter as a form of “disallowance in disguise,” a federal policy veto of provincial policies exercised by federal judges rather than by federal politicians.
Sensing the risk of losing the strategic value that the Supreme Court’s Charter decisions give to the federal government — i.e., disallowance in disguise — the Carney Liberals have now asked the Supreme Court to impose new restrictions on when and how a government (read: provincial government) can use the clause.
Carney’s government is asking the Court to rule that the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause is unconstitutional. Ottawa’s legal argument contradicts both the text of Section 33 and its clearly documented purpose.
That purpose was succinctly explained by former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed in 1983: “We needed to have the supremacy of the legislature over the courts. … we did not (want) to be in a position where public policy was being dictated or determined by non-elected people.”
Lougheed argued in a 1991 speech that the notwithstanding power provided Canada with a “system of checks and balances between the judiciary and legislators before judicial supremacy could assert itself.” He used the examples of both Great Britain and Australia to demonstrate that it is possible to have constitutional supremacy without judicial supremacy, the rule of law without the rule of lawyers.
That was the deal back in 1982. But now Carney wants to break it.
Ted Morton: Carney demands Supreme Court strip provinces of right to pass their own laws — National Post
The justices have no business declawing Section 33
Forty rights advocacy groups — a who’s who of the Court Party, almost all of whom receive funding from Ottawa — have intervened to support the federal government’s position: that the notwithstanding clause cannot be used pre-emptively to prevent courts from ruling on the constitutional validity of Bill 21.
Cheered on by their Court Party supporters, will the nine Supremes — six of whom were appointed by Justin Trudeau — rule in favour of the Carney Liberals?
If they do, they will have effectively amended Section 33 to mean something very different than what Quebec, all the Western premiers and even the Trudeau government understood it to mean in 1982.
For the Supreme Court to impose any new restrictions on the use of the clause would be precisely the abuse of judicial review that Section 33 was designed to prevent.