Pearl Eliadis on Taking Bill 96 and Bill 21 to the United Nations Human Rights Committee | Montreal Gazette
June 12, 2025 | Reporting on a public forum organized by the Task Force on Linguistic Policy, the Montreal Gazette highlights Pearl Eliadis鈥檚 warning that if the Supreme Court of Canada does not intervene to limit Quebec鈥檚 use of the notwithstanding clause in laws like Bill 96 and Bill 21, the anglophone community should consider taking their case to the United Nations Human Rights Committee. Eliadis points out that, as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Canada is obligated to uphold international human rights standards safeguarding equality and non-discrimination鈥攑rotections she asserts are being breached by these laws. She criticizes the provincial government鈥檚 preemptive use of the clause to override fundamental Charter rights and calls the clause a 鈥渕agical incantation鈥� that allows governments to suspend freedoms such as expression, religion, and assembly. Eliadis emphasizes the need to pay attention to the international legal framework, reminding that Canada presents itself as a leader on human rights globally.聽
