It's the Charter, stupid.

This article comments on the Canadian Constitution. The Canadian Constitution is bullshit. What distinguishes bullshit from lying is that while the liar knows the truth but seeks to mislead, the bullshitter is not even in the truth-telling game. Exhibit A is the uproar over Paul Martin's mid-election debate pledge, apparently dreamt up on the spot, to amend the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to prevent Ottawa from ever using the notwithstanding clause. Pundits quickly choked up over whether the government did or did not have the unilateral power to do so, but the real problem is the extent to which the Canadian Constitution is now little more than a palimpsest for brain cramps from opportunistic or panic-stricken politicians.