Feds ready to get involved in Quebec's Bill 21, are closely watching Bill 96
Federal Justice Minister David Lametti says the federal government is prepared to get involved in two controversial Quebec bills, including the language law passed Tuesday, especially if the bills reach the Supreme Court.
"We have, as we have said from the start, concerns about the preemptive use of the notwithstanding clause," Lametti told press on Wednesday morning, a day after Bill 96 passed in the Quebec legislature using that clause.
Bill 96, a language law that brings huge change to many sectors of Quebec, was the second bill under Quebec's current government to pass into law using the clause, which is meant to shield legislation pre-emptively from constitutional challenges.
The other was Bill 21, Quebec's bill on secularism, which was passed in 2019 and bans many public workers, including teachers and police officers, from wearing religious symbols while on the job.
"We said from the start that we wanted to leave room for Quebecers before the courts, but once it comes before the Supreme Court of Canada, it is by default a national issue. We will be there to deliver our arguments," Lametti said.
Bill 21 is getting close to that stage, having already reached Quebec's Court of Appeal.
"Once the Court of Appeal has ruled, we're going to the Supreme Court to give our opinion on it,” said Lametti.
As for Bill 96, it's less clear so far whether federal authorities will want to weigh in. That will depend partly on how the new law is put into action, said Lametti.
"We will, as I said, monitor the implementation," he said, speaking in French. "There are possibilities of implementing the law without affecting federal jurisdiction."
In other words, the law could be enforced in a way that doesn't violate constitutionally protected rights, he suggested.
But he said he's already concerned about some aspects of Bill 96.
"Obviously as a minister, I have fears... will it affect access to justice?" he said. "According to Article 133 of the constitution, people in Quebec have the right to go to court in English or in French."
There are many other things to watch as well, he said.
"As a citizen, and... an elected official, I have concerns about access to health care, about the issue of immigration, about how to impose certain obligations on immigrants," he said, as well as the rights of Indigenous people.
Bill 96 extends strict French-language rules for businesses, requires immigrants six months after they arrive in the province to communicate with the government in French only, and caps enrolment at English-language junior colleges, while also creating change in the justice system and, some predict, in health care.
Listen on CJAD 800 Radio: THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS GETTING READY TO CHALLENGE BILL 21 AND BILL 96
NOTWITHSTANDING CLAUSE MEANT AS LAST RESORT, SAYS LAMETTI
Aside from those areas of implementation, Lametti added that "obviously the question of the notwithstanding clause is essential" to the debate over Bill 96 as well.
He criticized the use of that clause in general, saying it cuts short crucial debate and an important dialogue between the courts and legislature, and suggesting François Legault's government is misusing the clause.
"I remember the debates at that time," Lametti said, referring to when the notwithstanding clause was included in Canadian law.
"It was supposed to be the last word in a dialogue between the courts and the legislature, and not the first word."
Lametti is not only the justice minister but Canada's attorney general.
This week, prominent Quebec constitutional lawyer Julius Grey laid out a plan to challenge Bill 96, saying he's putting together the legal case with a committee of Quebec lawyers.
He criticized the federal government as "spineless" on the language law, saying his group is prepared to take the matter to the United Nations if the notwithstanding clause makes it impossible to carry out an effective appeal in Canada.
--With files from The Canadian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.