Understanding Canada's Notwithstanding Clause

Canada has a constitutional override button that lets governments ignore your rights. It's called the

notwithstanding clause, and it's completely unique. Here's how it works:

if a court says a law violates your freedom of expression or equality rights, the government can

literally say "we're doing it anyway" for up to five years. But there's a catch. They can't override

your right to vote or move freely in Canada, and they have to publicly admit they're

using it, which means facing angry voters at the next election. It's basically a

compromise between protecting rights and letting elected officials make tough calls.

Whether that's genius or dangerous depends on who you ask.