The notwithstanding clause | Ask Me Anything

Cross Country Checkup

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre recently suggested that, if elected, he might use the notwithstanding clause to push through criminal law reform. The clause has never been used before at the federal level --though it has been used provincially. Eric Adams is a law professor at the University of Alberta who specializes in constitutional law. He answered your questions about the notwithstanding clause and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.