[smnrchrds]

Think of it as similar to minimum wage laws. The federal government can set a federal minimum wage, but it will only affect federally-regulated industries. [0]

Similarly, according to the original article, "The government had proposed an amendment that would have stripped the bill of everything except the power to make genetic characteristics a prohibited ground of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act... It would have meant the bill would apply only to federally regulated employees, who account for just five to seven per cent of the population."

> Canadian law is not a choose-your-own buffet for the provinces

Due to the notwithstanding clause [1], it kinda is for a subset of the laws. But that is not what's happening here. The insurance case is a matter of jurisdiction.

[0] http://globalnews.ca/news/2151323/reality-check-does-the-ndp...

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_33_of_the_Canadian_Cha...