Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
The landmark Supreme Court of Canada hearing on Quebec’s secularism law and the Charter’s notwithstanding clause began today in Ottawa with a series of calls to overturn the law.
David Ebner reports that the judges of the top court asked pointed questions that expressed skepticism regarding some of the arguments presented.
The first groups of appellants challenging the Quebec law included the English Montreal School Board, the World Sikh Organization of Canada, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and National Council of Canadian Muslims.
At issue at the top court is Quebec’s Bill 21, enacted in 2019. The law aims to promote secularism and prohibits public sector workers, including teachers, from wearing religious symbols such as a hijab or a cross on the job.
The Quebec government shielded the law from court challenges with the notwithstanding clause in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which allows governments to override numerous parts of the document.
Bill 21 was twice upheld in the lower courts in Quebec because of the notwithstanding clause, even as many people, including the groups in court on Monday, argue the law violates freedom of religion and the right to equality.
The Supreme Court hearing is scheduled over four days this week, one of the longest in the court’s history, and it marks the top court’s most detailed examination of the notwithstanding clause since the Charter became part of the Constitution in 1982.
Ebner took an in-depth look at the issues before the court in the landmark hearing in a feature available here.
In other news, replacing the troubled Phoenix pay system is estimated to cost at least $4.2-billion, according to a new report from Auditor-General Karen Hogan released today.
Bill Curry reports that the auditor finds that federal efforts to eliminate the backlog of long-standing pay complaints ahead of the transition are falling short.
A flood of complaints quickly surfaced after launch in 2016 and thousands of public servants continue to face frustration with inaccurate payments. In some cases, the backlog of complaints includes files that are seven years old.
The government has announced that it will gradually transition away from Phoenix in favour of a new pay system – called Dayforce – starting next year with three departments.
The Auditor-General also found that the Immigration Department failed to investigate more than 145,000 international students flagged as not complying with the terms of their study permits, raising concerns about the department’s anti-fraud controls.
Hogan’s report into the international student program run by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada concluded there were “critical weaknesses in the program’s integrity controls,” Marie Woolf reports.
The auditor’s report “found weaknesses in how the department responded to suspected cases of study permit non-compliance and immigration fraud.”
It said the department did not effectively investigate international students who had arrived in Canada but had been flagged as not complying with the terms of their study permits, for example, by not attending the college they were enrolled at.
People congregate outside the Supreme Court of Canada as the court hears appeals regarding Quebec’s secularism law (Bill 21) on Monday.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
What else is going on
U.S. military aircraft using Canadian airspace to refuel en route to Middle East: American military aircraft have been using Canadian airspace to refuel on their way to the Middle East, backed by a long-standing NORAD agreement that does not require the U.S. to ask permission from Canada to do so.
Canadians face 'tsunami’ of transnational repression in coming years, cyber-research group says: The director of the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto issued the warning in a presentation to be delivered today to a House of Commons committee studying transnational repression.
Two killed after Air Canada jet crashes into fire truck at LaGuardia Airport: The fire truck was reporting to a separate incident when it was struck on the runway by the Jazz Aviation CRJ 900 regional jet, which was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members.
Two BoC deputy governors to leave central bank in coming months: The bank announced today that deputy governor Rhys Mendes will depart the governing council that sets interest rates and other aspects of monetary policy, on April 10, while deputy governor Sharon Kozicki will depart on July 15.
Beginning today, Montreal to host 18 countries for defence-bank negotiations: The talks take place through Thursday and will be the first of three rounds of meetings meant to bring 18 founding countries together to decide upon the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank’s charter, treaties, headquarters location and chief executive officer.
Ford to declare Billy Bishop Airport a ‘special economic zone’ to allow jets: The designation through legislation passed last year will allow the government to circumvent provincial and municipal laws to extend the island facility’s runway to allow jets.
On our radar
Commons resumes: MPs are back at the House of Commons after a week-long break. The Senate has a fixed sitting day scheduled for Tuesday after week-long break of its own.
Prime Minister’s Day: Mark Carney had no public events today.
Party Leaders: Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet held a scrum at the House of Commons. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May was at the House of Commons. No schedules released for other party leaders.
Ministers on the Road: In Houston, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson attended the CERAWeek energy conference today and was scheduled to attended Tuesday as well.
Political Lives, Amanda Lathlin: The first First Nations woman elected to the Manitoba legislature has died, aged 49. Her passing was announced Saturday. “The barrier she broke helped pave the way for other Indigenous women to serve as MLA and Minister. It also contributed to my eventual election as Premier,” Premier Wab Kinew said in a statement. Kinew is Canada’s first provincial premier of First Nations descent. Lathlin, formerly a band councillor for Opaskwayak Cree Nation, was elected as the NDP member for The Pas in 2015. She was re-elected in the newly created The Pas-Kameesak riding as recently as 2023. Last month, the NDP caucus chair said Lathlin would be taking time off because of unspecified health issues.
Quote of the Day
“The notwithstanding clause is the last protection that we have in Quebec to make sure that our national assembly has the right to protect our value of secularity of the state, separation between church and state and protection of the French language. If we lose that, people will have to ask themselves if there is any other opportunity to protect what they are but independence.” - Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, during a news conference on Parliament Hill today, responds to a media question about the Supreme Court of Canada hearing on Quebec’s secularism law.
Question period
Who was the last prime minister of Canada with experience as a pilot?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
Will Bill 21 complete Quebec’s unfinished revolution against Catholic culture?
But what if Bill 21 is really a continuation of the exorcism of Quebec’s Catholic culture? What if this is the apotheosis of the process born of the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s? What if the policy of laïcité represents the final hollowing-out of Quebec Catholicism?
— Michael W. Higgins is the Basilian Distinguished Fellow of Contemporary Catholic Thought at the University of Toronto’s St. Michael’s College.
In Quebec, laïcité has become its own kind of religious orthodoxy
Given the situation, it’s time to tell the world about Quebec’s laïcité mission. Canadian embassies, high commissions and consulates should be clear to prospective immigrants (especially from la Francophonie) that their religious freedoms and expression will be curtailed in la belle province.
— Sheema Khan is the author of Of Hockey and Hijab: Reflections of a Canadian Muslim Woman.
The U.S. travel slump can be Canada’s bump
With many tourism hot spots around the world experiencing disruptions, Canada’s reputation for safety and natural beauty is a huge advantage. The moment is right for tourism operators and government leaders to move
— The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
Go deeper
- The Decibel: The Globe and Mail podcast today features The Globe’s justice reporter, David Ebner on the Supreme Court of Canada beginning a hearing on Quebec’s Bill 21.
- Follow along for our stories on Canada-U.S. relations as news develops
- Get the latest insight and analysis from our political opinion writers
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The answer to today’s question: Lester Pearson garnered piloting experience as a member of the Royal Flying Corps in England during the First World War. However, his time in the military ended when he was hit by a bus in London and sent home as a result of his injuries. Pearson would go on to serve as prime minister between 1963 and 1968.