Biden says the US believes journalist Austin Tice is alive after disappearing in Syria in 2012
Smith noncommittal on overriding Charter as court challenge looms over trans bills EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she doesn’t believe she’ll need to invoke the Charter's notwithstanding clause to shield her government's three transgender bills from legal challenges. Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press Dec 4, 2024 3:02 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message United Conservative Party Leader Danielle Smith addresses party members at their annual meeting in Red Deer, Alta., Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she doesn’t believe she’ll need to invoke the Charter's notwithstanding clause to shield her government's three transgender bills from legal challenges. The bills passed third and final reading in the legislature this week and are set to become law. Two LGBTQ+ advocate organizations — Egale Canada and Skipping Stone Foundation — say they plan to file a legal challenge. It's anticipated the challenge will be on grounds the bills violate Charter rights, including equality rights. "I don’t want to prejudge the court," Smith told reporters at an unrelated news conference Wednesday when asked if she would use the notwithstanding clause. "We will put forward a robust case — that this (legislation) is reasonable in a free, democratic society, that it's evidence based, and that we're protecting children and their right to be able to make adult decisions as adults." One bill would require children under 16 to have parental consent if they want to change their names or pronouns at school. A similar law governs school policy in Saskatchewan, where the government invoked the notwithstanding clause last year, a measure that allows governments to override certain Charter rights for up to five years. The Alberta bills go further, encompassing a range of topics from sex education to transgender surgery and sports. One bill compels parents to opt-in for their children to receive lessons in school on sexuality, sexual orientation and gender identity. Outside resources or presentations would also need to be pre-approved by the Education ministry, unless they're part of a religious school program. Physicians would be banned from offering gender-affirming treatment, such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, for those under 16. There would be a prohibition on gender-affirming "top" surgeries for minors. Transgender athletes would no longer be allowed to compete in female amateur sports, and sports organizations would be required to report eligibility complaints to the government. Bennett Jensen, Egale’s legal director, said the bills and the months of debate that preceded them have already hurt transgender children and athletes. Jensen said when political leaders discriminate against one segment of the population, it communicates that there is something wrong with that identity. “The consequences of having your identity debated in the public sphere for months is devastating,” Jensen said in an interview. "Anxiety is way up, depression is way up, bullying is way up, and this is without anything (legal) being in effect.” Jensen also took issue with Smith’s assertion that banning puberty blockers prevents children from making irreversible life decisions. "Puberty blockers do exactly what she is claiming to be wanting to protect for young people, which is afford them time and prevent irreversible changes," he said. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association said it may seek to be an intervener in the legal challenge. “This is a dark time for freedom in Alberta,” Harini Sivalingam, director of the association’s equality program, said in a statement. “The passage of these intrusive laws will severely erode the liberty of individuals and families to make deeply personal decisions about their lives.” NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said he expects some of the United Conservative Party government's legislation will be deemed unconstitutional by the courts and wondered why Smith believes her bill is different. “(Saskatchewan Premier) Scott Moe knew it was unconstitutional and used the notwithstanding clause pre-emptively,” Nenshi told reporters. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2024. Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Health Edmonton zoo elephant Lucy gets medical OK as she approaches 50th birthday Dec 4, 2024 3:59 PM Judge considers first lawsuit to overturn Missouri's near-total abortion ban Dec 4, 2024 3:39 PM Police hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's masked killer after 'brazen, targeted' attack on NYC street Dec 4, 2024 3:27 PMPete Hegseth - from serial adultery to DOD Secretary nomination: Letter to the Editor
Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court on Sunday said that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) refers to a common law that applies to all religious communities in personal matters such as marriage, inheritance, divorce, adoption etc. He also said it aims to replace various personal laws that currently govern personal matters within different religious communities. Uniform Civil Code based on the principles of equality, justice and secularism has been a matter of debate in India for a long time, he added. Justice Yadav was speaking at the provincial convention of Vishwa Hindu Parishad ’s Law Cell (Kashi Province) in the Library Hall of the High Court Bar. Justice Yadav said that the main objective of the Uniform Civil Code is to promote social harmony, gender equality and secularism by eliminating unequal legal systems based on different religions and communities. The aim of this code is to ensure uniformity of laws not only among communities but also within a community, he said. At the inaugural session of the VHP workshop held in four sessions, the chief guest Abhishek Atrey, National Co-convener of Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Law Cell, said on the subject of Waqf Amendment Act that Bangladesh looks like another Kashmir. “We all have to remain united to protect our identity,” he said. In his presidential address, AK Sand, a lawyer said that the Waqf Board has taken over land of various organisations in large numbers. VHP law cell regional convener Brijendra Singh spoke on the formation of the VHP Law Cell and presented the outline of the workshop. Senior Advocate and former president of Allahabad High Court Bar Association VP Srivastava shared his views on ‘Religious conversion: reasons and prevention’. VHP (Kashi Province) Law Cell convener Arvind Kumar Mishra welcomed and thanked the guests.Police deny sitting on evidence as Netflix doc brings renewed attention to JonBenet Ramsey's killing
Global stocks mostly rose Tuesday, with US and German indices posting records, as markets weighed Chinese stimulus hopes, political tensions in France and the US interest-rate outlook. Germany's blue-chip DAX stock index jumped above 20,000 points for the first time and Paris rebounded even as France braced for new political turmoil. In New York, both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq narrowly rose to finish at records, while the Dow pulled back. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Adewale 0-2 0-0 0, Klaczek 0-5 4-4 4, Briggs 4-9 6-6 17, Marshall 3-7 9-10 17, Strand 1-4 2-2 5, Neely 6-14 0-0 12, Matulu 1-1 0-0 2, Lindsey 4-5 0-0 8, Taylor 1-4 0-0 3, Adnan 0-2 0-0 0, Reddish 0-1 0-0 0, Topuz 0-2 0-0 0, Giralt 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 20-56 21-24 68. Fielder 3-6 3-3 10, Sorber 6-9 1-1 14, Epps 4-7 0-0 8, Mack 6-8 1-1 16, Peavy 9-14 3-3 24, Burks 5-6 0-0 11, Mulready 1-3 0-0 2, Ca.Williams 4-6 1-1 9, Cu.Williams 2-3 0-0 4, McKenna 1-1 0-0 2, Montgomery 0-1 0-0 0, Asadallah 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 41-65 9-9 100. Halftime_Georgetown 49-35. 3-Point Goals_Albany (NY) 7-22 (Briggs 3-5, Marshall 2-3, Strand 1-3, Taylor 1-3, Adnan 0-1, Reddish 0-1, Topuz 0-1, Klaczek 0-2, Neely 0-3), Georgetown 9-22 (Mack 3-4, Peavy 3-6, Burks 1-2, Fielder 1-2, Sorber 1-2, Montgomery 0-1, Cu.Williams 0-1, Epps 0-2, Mulready 0-2). Rebounds_Albany (NY) 21 (Neely 5), Georgetown 33 (Sorber 13). Assists_Albany (NY) 6 (Marshall, Neely 2), Georgetown 26 (Peavy 8). Total Fouls_Albany (NY) 14, Georgetown 17.Vance takes on a more visible transition role, working to boost Trump's most contentious picks
