Episode 128: Is Canada's high-speed rail plan DOOMED already? Plus, Quebec to BAN prayer in more places.

Episode 128: Is Canada's high-speed rail plan DOOMED already? Plus, Quebec to BAN prayer in more places.

From Not Reserving Judgment by Canadian Constitution Foundation

April 8, 2026 · 35 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of Canada's high-speed rail plan and Quebec's Bill 9 banning prayer in public spaces.

In Episode 128, we discuss the impact of the $90-billion Alto high-speed rail proposal on property rights, and we explain why we're opposed to Quebec's Bill 9, which would ban prayer in many public places. Plus, we give you our Bad Legal Takes of the Week. Stories and cases discussed in this week's episode: Alto's CEO answers questions about the high-speed rail project (CBC News) Special expropriation rules for VIA’s High Speed Rail project erode long-standing property protections, due process (Montreal Economic Institute) Bill 9, An Act respecting the reinforcement of laicity in Québec (Assemblee Nationale du Quebec) Quebec prohibits street prayers, extends religious symbols ban as opponents vow legal fight (Montreal Gazette) Not Reserving Judgment is a podcast about Canadian constitutional law hosted by Josh Dehaas, Joanna Baron, and Christine Van Geyn, with help from Alexander Surgenor. The show is brought to you by the Canadian Constitution Foundation, a non-partisan legal charity dedicated to defending rights and freedoms. To support our work, visit theccf.ca/donate.

People in this episode

Hosts: Josh Dehaas, Joanna Baron, Christine Van Geyn

Topics covered

  • high-speed rail
  • property rights
  • Quebec Bill 9
  • public prayer ban
  • legal commentary

Keywords

  • high-speed rail
  • property rights
  • Quebec Bill 9
  • public prayer
  • legal commentary
  • Alto
  • Montreal Gazette

Sponsors

Canadian Constitution Foundation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Alto, Montreal Economic Institute, Assemblee Nationale du Quebec, Montreal Gazette

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