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Re: Doug Ford to invoke notwithstanding clause to override judge’s Toronto council ruling
Ahhh Les Quebecois...
I was a young lad in Ottawa when the FLQ crisis hit.
It was an interesting time. But here's the legal rub.
As the PQ was elected on a platform of separation from the rest of Canada, and to reform Quebec into a land where Quebecois French and culture are very dominant, it was their mandate to ignore the courts. Ford believes its his mandate to ignore the courts too. And having voted for him, I agree. As did quite a few Quebecois when the PQs used the 'Not Withstanding" clause. Ford's job, what he was elected to do, was not to follow the traditional edicts of the courts, but to affect change to the status quo. To return common sense to the swill of the previous government.
And frankly...this kaka about Ford being some sort of dictator wannabe, is just plain old unsubstantiated sound-bytes. Its meaningless.
If you wanna see real dictators, go join a pack of ANTIFA and/or BLM monsters. They actually act like authoritarians.
Buzz62:
Premier Ford is pre-emptively declaring that he will ignore the decisions of Ontario's courts, even before they make those decisions. That shows contempt for the Rule of Law, because he is not objecting to their actual decisions (which have not been made yet) but is objecting to the idea that the courts can limit his political freedom to rule Ontario. Premiers are not rulers, they are elected representatives and managers who are supposed to work for the public good and provide the province with peace, order and good governance, not authoritarian rule. By pre-emptively dismissing the courts' power to constrain government freedom of action within the Rule of Law, Mr. Ford is saying that he and his administration are effectively above the law and will ignore and overrule the courts which enforce the Rule of Law.
I come from Quebec where the authoritarian ancien regime mentality of successive Quebec governments has caused them to use the Not Withstanding Clause to overrule the law of the land on quite a few occasions since 1980. Being an Anglo-Québécois several of those invocations of the Not Withstanding Clause were aimed squarely at my minority community, my language, my freedoms and my profession (I am a teacher). I can tell you from personal experience that being on the receiving end of such government diktats which overrule the law is frustrating, humiliating and poisons the society with malice and anger for decades. So I would not be so quick to discount the seriousness of what Mr. Ford is proposing/threatening to do, without even knowing how the courts will come down on future issues.
Yes, Mr. Ford and the Conservatives won the election and Ontario voters will have to live with their decision for better or for worse. But they elected a premier, not a president, a Caesar or a king and Mr. Ford and his party must still function under the Rule of Law.
Cheers.
Evilroddy.
Ahhh Les Quebecois...
I was a young lad in Ottawa when the FLQ crisis hit.
It was an interesting time. But here's the legal rub.
As the PQ was elected on a platform of separation from the rest of Canada, and to reform Quebec into a land where Quebecois French and culture are very dominant, it was their mandate to ignore the courts. Ford believes its his mandate to ignore the courts too. And having voted for him, I agree. As did quite a few Quebecois when the PQs used the 'Not Withstanding" clause. Ford's job, what he was elected to do, was not to follow the traditional edicts of the courts, but to affect change to the status quo. To return common sense to the swill of the previous government.
And frankly...this kaka about Ford being some sort of dictator wannabe, is just plain old unsubstantiated sound-bytes. Its meaningless.
If you wanna see real dictators, go join a pack of ANTIFA and/or BLM monsters. They actually act like authoritarians.