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SEVEN/FIFTY
The Centre for Constitutional Studies Blog
A hub for current constitutional dialogue and commentary in Canada and beyond
Recent Posts
Proposed Referendum Question on Alberta Independence Found Unlawful in Chief Electoral Officer of Alberta v Sylvestre
It looks increasingly likely that Albertans will be voting on whether to separate from Canada this year. This vote would not only pose an existential challenge to the entire country, but has also been found to contravene certain constitutional rights by Justice Colin Feasby (Alberta Court of King’s Bench) in Chief Electoral Officer of Alberta v Sylvestre . [1] The effect of this ruling has been limited, however, by Alberta’s Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (“Bill 14”),
Anjali Choudhary
Apr 99 min read
“Matriating” the Constitution: A Historical Overview of Section 28 of the Charter in the Lead-Up to Bill 21’s Appeal Before the Supreme Court of Canada
Next week, the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) will spend four days on a landmark hearing on the constitutionality of Quebec’s controversial Bill 21. [1] Enacted in 2019, Bill 21 — formally known as An Act respecting the laicity of the state [2] — seeks to enforce secularism in the province by targeting the wearing of religious symbols in the public sphere. The law requires certain civil servants — lawyers, police officers, and public school teachers among them — to remove r
Kira Davidson
Mar 1916 min read
Allegiance, Compulsion, and the Charter: Why Wirring v Law Society of Alberta Matters
On December 16, 2025, the Alberta Court of Appeal did something no Canadian appellate court has done before: it struck down a statutory oath of allegiance requirement for admission to the bar as unconstitutional. In Wirring v Law Society of Alberta , the Court held that Alberta’s requirement that aspiring lawyers swear an oath of allegiance to the Crown infringes freedom of religion under section 2(a) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (“ Charter ”) and cannot be justif
Daniel Lincoln
Mar 168 min read
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“Matriating” the Constitution: A Historical Overview of Section 28 of the Charter in the Lead-Up to Bill 21’s Appeal Before the Supreme Court of Canada
Next week, the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) will spend four days on a landmark hearing on the constitutionality of Quebec’s controversial Bill 21. [1] Enacted in 2019, Bill 21 — formally known as An Act respecting the laicity of the state [2] — seeks to enforce secularism in the province by targeting the wearing of religious symbols in the public sphere. The law requires certain civil servants — lawyers, police officers, and public school teachers among them — to remove r
Kira Davidson
Mar 1916 min read
The Legal Effect of Section 33: What the Court Got Right and Wrong in World Sikh Organization v Attorney General of Quebec
Quebec’s Act respecting the laicity of the State (“Bill 21”) prohibits certain public sector employees from wearing religious symbols while performing their duties, [1] prohibits certain public sector employees from delivering public services while wearing facial coverings, and prevents individuals accessing certain public services from doing so with their faces covered. [2] The impact of these prohibitions, which clearly limit the religious freedom that is guaranteed by s
Nicole Ibalio
Feb 1711 min read
Q&A with Ryan Beaton: Dickson v Vuntut Gwitchen First Nation -- Section 25 and the Mushy Test
conducted in the summer of 2024 by Saloni Sharma. March 12, 2025 Ryan Beaton, Juristes Power Law. Previously law clerk to the Right Honourable Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin of the Supreme Court of Canada, Ryan’s practice and his academic research are focused on Aboriginal rights and title, language rights, and constitutional law generally. In this Q&A, CCS Summer Student Saloni Sharma talks to Dr. Ryan Beaton — a lawyer with Power Law in Vancouver — about the Supreme Court
ccsedu
Mar 20, 202511 min read
Law Profs, Open Letters, and the Notwithstanding Clause
by Sarah Burningham, Assistant Professor College of Law, University of Saskatchewan May 27, 2024 After a period of dormancy, usage of the...
ccsedu
May 27, 20247 min read
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