Author: Tim Platnich Date: April 1, 2026 This is not an April fools day joke, but some may think it is! The press has been ripe with rhetoric about how s. 33 of the Charter, the dreaded 'notwithstanding clause', will lead to tyranny when Charter rights are overridden by provincial legislatures. [1] This follows from the recent proceedings before the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) concerning Quebec's Bill 21 in the case of Hak, et al v. Procureur Général du Québec. [2] But is

Author: Tim Platnich Date: February 12, 2026 Oh, oh. This sounds like a philosophical debate. What does it have to do with modern controversies? First, let's roughly define some terms. I say roughly, because these terms are loaded and have a long historical pedigree. Truly detailed definitions would involve us in deep philosophical debate. Roughly, rationalism promotes the use of logic and reason to identify truth. The scientific method is an off-shoot of rationalism. Convers

Author: Tim Platnich Date: February 12, 2026 One of the attributes that makes Canada great, supposedly, is the rule of law. There are rules. People are expected to follow the rules. For those that do not follow the rules, there are consequences. Though most people follow the rules out of a sense of public or, perhaps, moral duty, some do not. We have significant infrastructure in place for dealing with the rule-breakers: police; prosecutors; criminal courts; and prisons, for

Author: Tim Platnich Date: January 30, 2026 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is in the news again. As usual she is being criticized by the media. The current issue is her opinion about the judiciary. Essentially, Premier Smith says that judges need to stay in their lane and leave policy decisions to the elected representatives in the legislature. My, how scandalous! Kevin Martin, in a piece published in the Calgary Herald on January 29, 2026, took umbrage with Premier Smith's