The Queen signed Canada’s Constitution in Ottawa on April 17, 1982. While the notwithstanding clause gives governments a unique way to override basic rights, Supreme Court judges have had a broad mandate to set out what those rights are
SEAN FINE – Justice Writer | Globe and Mail Toronto
For 40 years the Charter of Rights and Freedoms has been a wild ride in a leaky boat.
Canada is the only major democracy with a constitution that permits governments to override basic rights. Retired Supreme Court judge John Major calls it a “boat with a big hole in the bottom.”
Yet that uniquely Canadian boat, hesitating here, plunging ahead there and reversing course at will, continues on its tumultuous, country-changing journey. Continue reading
GUYANA: Politics: Aubrey Norton Is At A Fork In The Road – By Ralph Ramkarran
Posted by Ralph Ramkarran
The fundamental objective of a political party is to gain political office and implement its policies for the benefit of the country. After months of grueling effort, Aubrey Norton has finally succeeded in overcoming ‘factionalism’ in the PNC by being nominated for a seat in the National Assembly and being elected as Opposition Leader. The word ‘factionalism’ is adopted from an editorial in Village Voice, an internet newspaper that is generally sympathetic to the Opposition. It discussed Norton’s journey from candidate to Opposition Leader.
It is generally difficult in Guyana to interrogate factionalism in the PPP and PNC because information about internal differences of opinion is unavailable or unreliable. In the case of Mr. Norton’s rise to the leadership of the PNC, it is a bit easier because Continue reading →
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