Are Federal politicians stupid, ignorant, or just pandering to Quebec? Perhaps it is all of the above. Bill C-13 is the revision of the Official Languages Act

In 1982, Canada patriated our Constitution from Britain and added the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Charter). This was Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s crowning achievement. Regretfully, to get the buy-in of all provinces other than Quebec, he had to agree to Section 33 – the Notwithstanding Clause. The Premiers were worried that the courts would have too much power over the elected representatives without such a clause. The clause, if invoked, had to be renewed every five years and I am sure Trudeau never imagined that it would be used. After all, who in a democratic society would want to override basic human rights such as freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom from discrimination and so on.