How one law professor challenged the limits of a prime minister’s power at the Supreme Court
Law professor Ryan Alford challenged the federal government in a constitutional case over the limits of a prime minister's power to restrict parliamentary privilege, culminating in a Supreme Court of Canada hearing. His legal journey began in 2018 after concerns that the 2017 National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act undermined MPs' and senators' right to speak freely in Parliament. The case questioned whether the government could legally suspend parliamentary privilege for members handling classified information, with rulings split between lower courts before reaching the Supreme Court.
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Open this photo in gallery:Law Professor Ryan Alford makes his case in a one-man constitutional challenge against the federal government at the Supreme Court of Canada, presenting arguments in Ottawa at a hearing on Nov. 5, 2025.Supreme Court of CanadaShareSave for laterPlease log in to bookmark this story.Log InCreate Free AccountRyan Alford, a law professor at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., is a student of legal history, investigations of the recent and distant past.He has five degrees from five countries. He is a Buddhist. He does not have a cellphone. His first book detailed post-9/11 legal abuses and presidential power during the U.S. War on Terror.
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