{"id":430870,"date":"2025-12-07T11:40:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T11:40:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/430870\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T11:40:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T11:40:30","slug":"albertas-smith-says-courts-should-not-be-gatekeepers-on-constitutional-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/430870\/","title":{"rendered":"Alberta\u2019s Smith says courts should not be gatekeepers on constitutional questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n\t\t\t\tBy Lisa Johnson<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Canadian Press\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tPosted December 6, 2025 4:14 pm\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1 min read<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tDescrease article font size<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tIncrease article font size<\/p>\n<p>Alberta Premier\u00a0Danielle\u00a0Smith\u00a0says those seeking an independence referendum should not have \u201cgatekeepers,\u201d like the courts, standing in their way.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/70c8fc80.png\" alt=\"\" style=\"position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Smith\u00a0spoke today on her radio call-in show for the first time after her government proposed legislation that would grind to a halt an ongoing court case on the issue.<\/p>\n<p>She says giving Justice Minister Mickey Amery the power over referendum questions upholds democracy.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"170\" height=\"225\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/national.jpg\" alt=\"For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tGet breaking National news<\/p>\n<p>For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.<\/p>\n<p>Smith\u00a0says the courts \u201cseem to want to approve the ones they like, and hold up the ones they don\u2019t like.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It comes a day after an Alberta Justice Colin Feasby said a separatist question would go against the Charter and the province\u2019s existing referendum law.<\/p>\n<p>Feasby says in a decision Friday Smith\u2019s United Conservative government\u2019s proposed law to change the rules in the middle of the game is undemocratic.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\tTrending Now\n\t<\/p>\n<ul class=\"l-inlineStories__posts c-posts c-posts--inline \">\n<li class=\"c-posts__item\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/11563659\/ed-bambas-army-vet-grocery-store-video\/\" class=\"c-posts__inner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-posts__thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Untitled-design-50.png\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"336\" height=\"224\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tOver $1.7 million raised for 88-year-old army vet working in grocery store\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-posts__item\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/11562395\/saab-fighter-jets-jobs-canada\/\" class=\"c-posts__inner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-posts__thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1765107628_835_3133261afbdfcd2fa7460fc96d29707e66f662269c59f042abc8391a63dd769e.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"336\" height=\"224\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tIndustry experts question Saab\u2019s pitch to bring 10,000 jobs to Canada\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-video__image\" alt=\"Click to play video: 'Premier Danielle Smith could be the next Alberta MLA facing recall'\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/6P-RECALL-BONANZA.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\"   data-\/><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1:58<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPremier Danielle Smith could be the next Alberta MLA facing recall\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t&amp;copy 2025 The Canadian Press\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Lisa Johnson The Canadian Press Posted December 6, 2025 4:14 pm 1 min read Descrease article 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