Pearl Eliadis on the values behind 鈥淐anada Strong鈥� | Literary Review of Canada
May 29, 2026 |聽Pearl Eliadis聽associate professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy, contributed an essay to the Literary Review of Canada warning that Canada must reinforce its "values infrastructure" as it pursues a "Canada Strong" agenda focused on defence and economic resilience. Eliadis argues that human rights, pluralism, and constitutional principles like the rule of law cannot be treated as secondary to physical infrastructure investments, but rather form the essential foundation of democratic governance.
The essay highlights mounting threats to Canada's constitutional framework, including the accelerating use of the notwithstanding clause (section 33) by provinces which Eliadis contends violates international human rights obligations and persistent vacancies in the judiciary that undermine access to justice. Eliadis also raises concerns about migration policy and the erosion of the Canadian Human Rights Commission's institutional capacity, noting that "investment in democratic governance costs a fraction of the resources now flowing into physical and defence infrastructure."
Speaking ahead of the Max Bell School's upcoming conference "Not Politics as Usual: Challenges to Constitutional Governance in Canada and the United States," Eliadis argues that Canada can "confront today's geopolitical realities without abandoning its constitutional ballast."
