Question: " Is Parliament the sovereign or isn't it? That's a question that every Canadian can understand," Mr. Ignatieff said. "The Prime Minister is not sovereign. That's what the issue is."
Answer: No, Parliament is not sovereign. Unlike the situation in Britain when Mr. Ignatieff was living there, ours is a system of constitutional, not parliamentary supremacy. And it's the Supreme Court's job to interpret that Constitution - both written and unwritten - as well as the laws passed by Parliament, including in the area of national security.
To be sure, in some areas MPs can choose to override the Supreme Court of Canada by invoking the notwithstanding clause. But, as Leader of the Liberal Party, surely this is not what Mr. Ignatieff has in mind.