Doug Ford’s U-turn on the use of the notwithstanding clause helped the premier avoid a public relations (and possibly province-wide) disaster, but in Ottawa it also spared Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from having to take action to match his rhetoric.
In the House of Commons last week, Trudeau said it was “wrong” for the Ontario premier to invoke the notwithstanding clause pre-emptively, and “wrong” to deny collective bargaining rights before that bargaining process had reached an impasse. “Suspending fundamental rights of Canadians without consequences,” the prime minister said, “concerns me.”
