Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government filed an application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, the final day permitted under law. After 60 days of silence, the decision confirms that his government will defend constitutional violations rather than admit that the Trudeau government trampled Canadians’ Charter rights. Two courts ruled that the invocation of the Emergencies Act was unlawful. Carney wants a third chance to prove them wrong.
The appeal creates a constitutional problem. Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner publicly condemned the Freedom Convoy protests in April 2022, calling them “the beginning of anarchy where some people have decided to take other citizens hostage.” He told Le Devoir that such protests must be denounced with force by all the figures of power in the country. He characterized protesters as “remotely guided” people with “a certain ignorance” of the rule of law.
