Danielle Smith is planning to invoke the Notwithstanding Clause to protect her anti-trans legislation before the courts can weigh in, much as what happened in Saskatchewan. If you’ve been following that case, at the first court injunction, Scott Moe hurriedly not only invoked the Notwithstanding Clause, but also enacted legislation to shield his government from lawsuits for any harm that may come to these youths as a result of his policy—because if that’s not telling on himself, I’m not sure what else is.

But it gets better. Danielle Smith is also self-righteously opposing the federal government’s factum to the Supreme Court of Canada on the upcoming challenge to Quebec’s Law 21, saying that provinces have a right to use this clause, but then says she disagrees with Quebec’s use of it, but they should have the right. So, she disagrees with using it to attack religious minorities, but she’s totally justified in using it to attack trans or gender-diverse youth? The absolute hypocritical audacity. She’s also built an entire false discourse that the federal factum is going to cause a national unity or constitutional crisis, which mischaracterises what the federal factums says. The federal government position is that the courts can weigh in on whether the law the Clause is protecting violates rights or not. A declaration of no force or effect. But she doesn’t want them to do that, because they would expose her for attacking the rights of vulnerable youth, and that makes her look bad. The poor dear.

Meanwhile, the meltdowns over the federal factum continue, with the Bloc insisting that this is an attack on Quebec’s ability to legislate for itself (it’s not), and conservatives all over insisting that this is going to tear the country apart, and that the Supreme Court needs to be removed if they impose limits, and so on. Not one of them has read the factum, of course, but they’re treating this like political Armageddon, because that’s never backfired before. I’m not sure the minister is helping by soft-pedalling the message of the federal position, especially since pretty much every media outlet is getting the very basics of this factum wrong. But of course, he would be explaining, and “when you’re explaining, you’re losing,” so they never explain, and things continue to slide downhill at an alarming rate.

Ukraine Dispatch

Fragments of a drone attack over Kyiv have damaged the city’s trolley bus network. President Zelenskyy says that Ukrainian forces are pushing Russians back in a counteroffensive along the eastern front. Ukrainian drones have hit Russia’s Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat oil processing and petrochemical complex, one of the largest in the country. Russia has turned over the bodies of over 1000 Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian forces are training their Polish counterparts on more effective ways to counter Russian drones following the incursion.

Good reads:

• Mark Carney is in Mexico City, where he signed an agreement to build “comprehensive strategic partnerships” as New NAFTA renegotiation looms.
• François-Philippe Champagne says that the bigger deficits this year will pay off in future years as those investments turn into more jobs.
• Tim Hodgson seems to believe that Europe is hungry for our LNG, in spite of there being no proponents, no pipeline for supply, and no buyers signing long-term deals.
• The US Ambassador is whinging that Canadians aren’t nice enough to America after the threats of economic dominance and annexation. The poor dear…
• Digital asbestos company Cohere is aggressively lobbying the government around regulations, and trying to sell their products to federal departments and agencies.
• The transport committee wants to haul Chrystia Freeland back on the Chinese ferries issue because her office was apprised of the deal before it was public. (And?)
• Former justice minister David Lametti has been appointed the new UN ambassador, after apparently losing a turf war inside PMO with Tom Pitfield.
• The Conservatives are pushing “three-strikes” laws, which are not only unconstitutional, but actually increased crime in the US.
• Ontario has signed a new compensation agreement with doctors, which includes now compensating family doctors for administrative duties.
• David Eby is sulking because BC has to pay for its own ferries, while the federal government operates the Marine Atlantic ferry that goes between five provinces.
• Justin Ling argues that Canada needs to quickly develop its own platforms to ensure digital sovereignty as the American-owned platforms engage in Trumpism.

Odds and ends:

The new NSICOP membership has been announced. #cdnpoli

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2025-09-18T16:56:40.432Z

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