Watch the testimony of Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, Director of our Fundamental Freedoms Program, at the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance below.
CCLA is deeply concerned about the new exemption powers introduced by Bill C-15.
These powers would allow federal ministers to exempt entities working in the clean technology or financial technology sectors from most federal laws and regulations.
CCLA is urging the Senate to either remove this sweeping new power from Bill C-15, or adopt targeted amendments that would restrict its scope.
“Giving the executive the power to unilaterally bypass an act of Parliament is an affront to the separation of powers: this constitutional architecture that stops any single branch of government from becoming too powerful, ensuring a system of checks and balances that prevents abuse and overreach.
Exemption powers are also an attack on the rule of law principle, which guarantees that everyone, including the government and powerful individuals, is subject to and accountable under the same publicly known, equally enforced and independently adjudicated laws.
Our governments’ respect for these key principles will define how we as a country resist a troubling trend of democratic decline that we observe around the world.”
About the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.
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