On the DEWLine 2.0: Dwight Williams

Here we go again.

Québec premier François Legault is looking to aggravate the language situation yet again. Details here:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-bill-101-language-revamp-1.6023532

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bill-96-quebec-language-laws-1.6025859

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/pontiac-quebec-language-law-joanne-labadie-1.6025706

The second article's headline invoking the word "reforms" is a horrible word choice for describing this idea.

So much for peace within Québec in particular and Canada in general...and we should have expected as much from the CAQ.

Doug Ford is set on a course guaranteed to make him as infamous as René Levesque.

Those of you as yet unversed in Canadian political history, have as many seats as you'll need. This will be explained.

In 1982, the Pierre Trudeau administration, in concert with most - but not all! - of the provincial and territorial governments of Canada repatriated our constitution from the UK. We could now amend that constitution domestically, without having to send our chosen leaders on what was then a long plane ride to London to plead the case with 10 Downing Street, Westminster and the Monarchy.

Québec - then led by separatiste René Levesque and his incarnation of le parti Québecois - objected, withheld their signature from those documents...and then invoked Section 33 of the Constitution Act of 1982, that selfsame hated document, to protect Bill 101, a law meant to secure the place of French as the sole official language of that province, and to deem English (and, to lesser degrees, all other languages including the Indigenous ones) an ongoing threat to the peace and prosperity of Québec.

That invocation of Section 33 - now called most often "the Notwithstanding Clause" because of its ability to shield legislation from being declared unconstitutional under specific conditions - was singular in its infamy because of that context.

Now, Doug Ford, 26th post-Confederation premier of the province of Ontario, means to use the Notwithstanding Clause himself to ensure that the city of Toronto governs itself on his chosen terms alone. That the city of Toronto's current government has taken his administration to court and won its case - we can call it the "crickets!" verdict, given the commentary of Justice Edward Belobaba - is irrelevant and unforgivable to him.

Many have made the case that if Ford does this to Toronto now, what's to stop another premier - anywhere in Canada - from doing the same or worse to a municipality that offends them in any way?

So long as Section 33 stands in the Canadian Constitution, not a lot. If anything.

So this happened today at the CRTC:

http://www.tv-eh.com/2017/06/19/minister-joly-appoints-acting-chair-of-the-canadian-radio-television-and-telecommunications-commission/

Is this a decision Canadian viewers, readers and listeners need to worry about? If so, why?

Attempted murder?

Really?

We were so busy watching the appointments to the Supreme Court. That was certainly a mistake. And I suspect that we will all pay as Canadian citizens over the next half-century. To what degree? It's still debatable.

Well, it looks like the New Conservatives started blinking.

Hoping the trend continues. For the safety of all Canadians.

More on other stuff later.

So, there's this...

...that I think a certain gentleman in Saskatchewan is right to worry about the Robocalls?

Just a renegade thought.

Thirty years ago tomorrow, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was signed into law as part of the larger process of repatriating the Canadian Constitution from British to Canadian control. Since then, it's been at the heart of Canadian law, filling a role very much akin to that the US Bill of Rights.

The current government seems to have a problem with the idea of honouring this anniversary, the Charter apparently being seen by many in the New Conservatives' ranks as a legacy of their political enemies.

By comparison, most of the population of Canada, regardless of their political leanings, have their own opinions on the subject.

That would include me.

Happy birthday, Charter!

*raises a virtual toast!*

Here's to at least thirty more!