As Toronto officials gear up for another legal battle over Ontario's plans to slash the city council, they face a new challenge: Premier Doug Ford's unprecedented use of the controversial "notwithstanding clause" of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. "It's going to be an uphill battle," said Nader Hasan, constitutional lawyer and partner at the Toronto firm Stockwoods LLP. Never before used in Ontario, or at the federal level, the clause, also known as Section 33, allows governments to pass laws that appear to violate certain charter rights. Premier Doug Ford is invoking the controversial 'notwithstanding clause' of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to push through the legislation. Because the notwithstanding clause doesn't apply to an unwritten right, only those specified in the charter.

Source: CBC News September 13, 2018 07:52 UTC