e-7269 (Employment and labour)

Petition to the Prime Minister

• In October 2025, the Government of Alberta passed Bill 2, the Back-to-School Act and invoked Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Notwithstanding Clause) ordering over 51,000 teachers back to work, imposing a rejected collective agreement, and shielding that legislation from judicial review, overriding constitutionally protected freedoms of association, peaceful assembly, and expression;
• In November 2022, the Government of Ontario passed Bill 28, the Keeping Students in Class Act and invoked the Notwithstanding Clause to shield legislation that imposed a collective agreement on approximately 55,000 education workers and prohibited striking, overriding Charter-protected freedoms;
• Recent legislation enacted by the Governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan restrict the rights, dignity, and safety of transgender and gender-diverse people, particularly children and youth, including access to gender-affirming and medically appropriate care; and
• There is a noticeable pattern of provincial governments invoking the Notwithstanding Clause to shield legislation from judicial review, thereby preventing Charter challenges from being heard.