Repeal Notwithstanding labour laws

AI summary

Petitioners ask the Prime Minister to repeal provincial laws invoking the Notwithstanding Clause that restrict workers’ rights to strike and bargain collectively, and to affirm federal responsibility to uphold Charter rights nationwide.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

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. We, the undersigned, residents of Canada concerned about the erasure of collective bargaining and human rights in Canada, call upon the Prime Minister to annul or repeal any future provincial legislation that restricts workers’ rights to strike and collectively bargain through the use of the Notwithstanding Clause, and to affirm the federal government’s responsibility to uphold Charter rights across Canada.

Government response

No government response is available yet.