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S-218 — An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1982 (notwithstanding clause)
Every bill summarized in plain language. Not clear enough? Ask for an explanation.
S-218
An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1982 (notwithstanding clause)
1
PSG
In progress
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BILL S-218
An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1982 (notwithstanding clause)
Last activity : At second reading in the Senate
PSG
In progress
Senate · 1st2025-05-27Senate · 2ndSenate · 3rdCommons · 1stCommons · 2ndCommons · 3rdRoyal assent
Sign-in required — one request per person, no anonymous requests
What it does, in plain language
- Sets conditions on federal use of the "notwithstanding clause" (section 33 of the Charter), which allows certain guaranteed rights to be set aside.
- Applies only to Parliament and the Government of Canada, including matters relating to Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
- Requires any bill containing such a declaration to originate in the House of Commons and be introduced by a minister.
- Bars introduction unless the Supreme Court has already found that the bill or law infringes a right under section 2 or sections 7 to 15 of the Charter.
- Requires the bill to include a preamble giving the reasons for the declaration.
- Requires the minister to table a statement in the Commons on the bill's effects on the affected rights and why the infringement cannot be justified.
- Prohibits time-allocation motions and Committee of the Whole study of such bills in either chamber.
- Sets a two-thirds threshold in the House of Commons for third reading, with support from members of at least two recognized parties.
🤖 AI-generated from the bill’s official text as introduced — may not reflect amendments adopted since.
Registered lobbying
1 communication · 1 organization
as of Sep 10, 2026
the 1 most recent +
Canadian Civil Liberties Association1
2026-05-12 · Justice Canada (JC)
Canadian Civil Liberties Association
Met with : Morgan MacDougall-Milne — Director of Litigation
Communications reported to the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying that name this bill. Lobbying is a lawful, publicly registered activity — this count is a fact, not a verdict. Only communications whose description names both the bill number and its title are counted, so the real total may be higher. Registry archive read on September 10, 2026; the Commissioner republishes it about monthly, and we refresh it by hand.
✋ What does “challenging” mean?
Clicking “Ask for an explanation” is a citizen request for the bill's sponsor to explain it in plain language — and for us to keep an eye on it together.
An account (email) is required — one request per person, no anonymous requests. 🔥 At 1,000 requests on the same bill, a public post is made, in the hope an MP agrees to sponsor a petition to the House.
It works on any bill, including one that has already received royal assent — that is often the one people want to understand.
Votes in the Commons
Every recorded vote — who voted what, and by what margin.
On the “who voted what” detail — the House of Commons publishes each member's name for every recorded (nominal) vote (Yea / Nay / paired). The by-member breakdown above (the "+" button on each row) comes directly from that official source (ourcommons.ca), not an estimate. The party shown next to each name is taken from the current House roster; people who have since left the House appear separately under "Former members".
How to read a vote
Recorded vote
Members vote one by one and each choice is entered in the public record. That is what lets us say exactly who voted what — no interpretation.
Passed is not law
A passed vote clears ONE stage. A bill must pass both chambers and then receive royal assent before it becomes law.
Paired is not absent
In the Commons, two members from opposing sides can agree not to vote: their voices cancel out. It is neither an absence nor an abstention.
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Hi! My name is
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I'm 45, and dossiercanada.ca is your first step into democracy!
If we want people to understand politics, it has to be brought down to their level.
When I first tried to take an interest in it, on top of not knowing the jargon, bills came as two lines… and fifty PDFs. Most people would simply walk away.
So I had an idea: use artificial intelligence first to read through all of it, then to put it in plain words. That's how DossierCanada was born.
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Parliament glossary
Parliamentary jargon, translated into everyday language.
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