Poilievre says the Charter supports locking up drug kingpins without using the notwithstanding clause

Poilievre said judges ‘are going to be obliged’ to uphold the law he’s promising, given its intent of preventing future spirals of addiction and drug-related deaths

He says the Charter itself calls for tough criminal laws targeting fentanyl pushers … if you look at it a certain way.

Poilievre said that judges “are going to be obliged” to uphold the law he’s promising, given its clear intent of preventing future spirals of addiction and drug-related deaths.

The Opposition Leader was speaking at a policy announcement at the Port of Vancouver.

Joanna Baron, executive director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, says she doesn’t share Poilievre’s confidence about the promised mandatory minimums passing constitutional muster.

“The bottom line is if he wants to do this, he’ll need to invoke Section 33,” said Baron.

“It’s easy to imagine a scenario where an addict has 20 to 40 milligrams (of fentanyl) on their person, and is dealing (drugs) under some kind of duress,” said Baron.

National Post
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