By The Canadian Press

In the news today: Alberta to use notwithstanding power in trans laws

Sep 19, 2025 | 1:15 AM

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Alberta to use notwithstanding power in trans laws

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has directed officials to invoke the Charter’s notwithstanding clause in amending three laws that affect transgender people, says a leaked government memo obtained by The Canadian Press.

The internal document sent Sept. 10 by the justice department asks other departments to assemble information as per a directive from Smith’s office to invoke the clause.

Justice spokesperson Heather Jenkins, asked yesterday for comment on the memo, responded in a one-sentence statement.

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“Alberta’s government will continue to vigorously protect the safety and well-being of children using all available legal and constitutional means at our disposal, including the notwithstanding clause should our government deem it necessary,” Jenkins wrote.

The three laws, introduced last year, establish rules for students changing their names or pronouns in school, ban transgender girls from participating in amateur female sports, and limit gender-affirming health care.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Fraser says top court should ‘shape’ Charter override

The notwithstanding clause is also making news in Ottawa.

This week, the federal government filed a factum — a written statement of fact and law — to the top court in the landmark case on Quebec’s Bill 21, better known as the secularism law. The law prohibits public sector workers in positions of authority — including teachers and judges — from wearing religious symbols on the job.

Quebec invoked the notwithstanding clause — Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms — when it passed the law.

In its filing, the federal government urged the court to set limits on how the notwithstanding clause can be invoked.

In a media statement, Justice Minister Sean Fraser said he hopes the Supreme Court’s eventual decision “will shape how both federal and provincial governments may use the notwithstanding clause for years to come.”

Alberta’s premier said in a social media post that while her government doesn’t support the content of Quebec’s bill, it stands “shoulder to shoulder with Quebec’s constitutional right to invoke the notwithstanding clause as its government deems fit.”

Carney to visit train yard on Mexico City trip

Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Mexico City today, on the second day of a trip aimed at strengthening the trading relationship ahead of what is expected to be a challenging round of negotiations with the United States on a trilateral trade deal.

Carney is expected to visit Canadian Pacific and Kansas City’s Ferrovalle train yard, his only scheduled event for the day, before departing for Ottawa by noon.

Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum signed a pact yesterday to deepen economic and security ties.

The agreement was billed as a comprehensive strategic partnership, and it includes a plan to build infrastructure, such as ports, rail and energy corridors, while tackling crime and protecting the environment.

Carney and Sheinbaum emphasized that the deal will “complement” the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, or CUSMA.

National Defence using U.S. cloud services

Newly released documents show Ottawa has spent almost $1.3 billion on cloud services provided by U.S. companies, with most of the money going to Microsoft — and its uses include what it calls “mission-critical” defence applications.

The information was shared in a government response to a question posed by Conservative MP Todd Doherty. He asked government departments and agencies how much they have spent since 2021 on cloud services provided by Amazon, Microsoft and Google, and to identify which of those cloud services cover critical government functions.

“Amazon Web Services hosts several mission-critical applications that directly support operational readiness and national security,” the response from the Department of National Defence says.

A sovereign cloud is a computing environment companies use to run services which can be set up to comply with a specific country’s laws or core values.

Guillaume Beaumier, an assistant professor of political science and international studies at l’École nationale d’administration publique in Quebec, told The Canadian Press in an earlier interview that with a sovereign cloud, companies can ensure the data and infrastructure their services operate on are confined to their own country — with no outside access for other nations.

Business travel to the U.S. remains resilient

Canadians might be shunning leisurely visits to the U.S., but new data shows corporate travel appears to be business as usual.

Despite political tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, economic uncertainty stemming from tariffs and fears of treatment at the border, data from SAP Concur suggests Canadian business travel to the U.S. during the first half of the year has remained stable compared with last year’s levels, even if it means some companies are taking more precautions at the border.

During the six-month period that ended June 30, the data showed the U.S. accounted for 79 per cent of corporate travel from Canada.

The next most popular destinations included the U.K., which accounted for three per cent of Canadian business trips during the period, and Germany, which accounted for two per cent.

The figures also show Canada was the No. 1 international destination for corporate travel from the U.S.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2025.

The Canadian Press