Premier must be civil, respectful
I am writing to express my extreme displeasure towards Premier Doug Ford’s proposed use of Section 33 of the Canadian Constitution to overrule Justice Edward Belobaba’s judgment that Bill 5 abrogated the rights of Ontario Citizens under our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. His further intimation that we will do it again should a member of the judiciary not rule in his favour, is at once both odious and dictatorial.
Section 33 should be a measure of last resort, and I, for one, fail to see how the size of Toronto’s city council, is of such grave and overwhelming urgency that it necessitates such action.
Also, Mr. Ford should be made aware that our court system has the right absolute, to rule, if necessary, that a governments’ actions are unconstitutional because that is only one of the two defenses we as citizens, have against governmental action that are contrary to the rights of citizens. The other is the power of the Lieutenant Governor to issue a Writ of Election. These powers must be held sacrosanct to avoid any abuse of power. Yes, we get to vote but four years to remove or place in check, a government that is working against the rights of the citizens cannot and must not be our only means of redress.
Furthermore, to allude that because MPP’s are elected and judges are not is justification for his actions, is to exhibit a lack of understanding, or alternatively a lack of respect, of our governmental system that should be of grave concern to the citizens of Ontario. Judges aren’t elected in Canada, nor given term limits, to grant hem independence from political consideration.
Finally, Mr. Ford said many members of Toronto city council could not get jobs if they weren’t elected to council. Offensive does not begin to describe that remark! As the premier of this province Mr. Ford has a duty to ALL citizens and one of his duties is to be civil and respectful.
Ian Acheson, Peterborough