VAUGHAN, Ont. — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is lashing out at the federal Liberals after Ottawa suggested there should be limits on how legislatures use the Constitution’s notwithstanding clause, accusing Prime Minister Mark Carney and Justice Minister Sean Fraser of undermining provincial authority.
The clause allows provincial legislatures or Parliament to temporarily override parts of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms for up to five years. In a recent filing to the Supreme Court of Canada in the case challenging Quebec’s secularism law, the federal government argued the clause cannot be used to “distort or wipe out” Charter rights altogether.
Ford, whose Progressive Conservative government has invoked the clause in Ontario, denounced Ottawa’s position. Speaking to reporters in Vaughan on Thursday, he branded it “the worst decision” Carney has made and warned it would be “an absolute disaster.”
“Legislatures are supreme, not judges ruling from the bench,” Ford said, insisting elected representatives — not the courts — should have the final say in determining when Charter rights can be set aside.
The premier’s remarks highlight a growing constitutional clash between provinces and the federal government as the scope of the notwithstanding clause faces renewed scrutiny before Canada’s highest court.