Michael Taube: When It Comes to the Notwithstanding Clause, Doug Ford Had No Other Option
Commentary
Ontario Premier Doug Ford passed Bill 28, or the Keeping Students in Class Act, on Nov. 3 to prevent roughly 55,000 education support workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees from going on strike. The provincial government also received royal assent to include Section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, or the notwithstanding clause, to ensure no court challenges could be filed.
This is the third time Ford has been forced to consider using the dreaded override lever as premier. It’s also the first time in his political tenure that he truly had no other option but to enact it….