Politics

#2 Premier Doug Ford invokes the notwithstanding clause

Doug Ford’s plan to reduce the Toronto city council was declined by Superior Court Justice Edward Belobaba because it breached Charter rights. The Premier then stated that he would invoke the notwithstanding clause to override what he considered a bad judicial decision. Doug Ford is using the notwithstanding clause to reduce the size of the Toronto city council by half and many citizens are for the decision. In my opinion, I believe the oversized and dysfunctional Toronto city council should be cut down in size. By reducing the number of politicians in the city council, taxpayers will have to pay less, the council will be more democratic, and there will be better governance. Many jobs will be lost for people getting removed from the council, however it will be worth it for the people of Toronto.

#3 Federal Government spends more than $2.3 million fighting residential school survivor claims

Over the past five years, the federal government has spent over $2.3 million fighting legal cases related to the claims of survivors of one of the most notorious residential schools in Canada. Many of the claims involved former students fighting for compensation. The government is denying many allegations due to the fact of no concrete evidence of certain types of abuse. In my opinion, I believe the government is attempting to silence the victims voice and cover up these cases by fighting back. The money spent in fighting the victims of abuse should have been used as part of the compensation instead.

#7 Canada gives $50-million UN Palestinian refugee agency that U.S. calls flawed

Canada is currently contributing $50 million to the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency, an agency that has been deemed flawed by the United States. The Canadian funds will be allocated over 2 years to assist the health and education efforts for Palestinian refugees. However in August, the U.S. decided to withdraw $300 million from the agency claiming it was biased and promoted hatred against the Jewish state. In my opinion, I believe Canada should be donating the money however if any more flaws are found, it should be pulled out. It is a very kind and generous donation towards helping Palestinian refugees but another good option would be paying Canadian citizens, who are interested, to work at the agency, creating jobs and helping Canada at the same time.

#17 Stricter drunk driving laws to take effect across Canada

Convicted impaired drivers now face stricter penalties, and police officers now have enhanced powers to determine whether drivers are impaired by alcohol or other drugs. Those changes are the result of Bill C-46, which was passed in June and came into effect Tuesday. Among other changes, the bill spells out that police officers are able to demand a breath sample from any driver they stop. Previously, police needed to have a reasonable suspicion of impaired driving before they could conduct a test. Police officers are also now able to test drivers for impairment by using any device approved by the attorney general. The bill also increases maximum prison terms for many impaired driving offences from five years to 10, and gives the Crown the ability to seek dangerous offender designations for dangerous drivers, impaired drivers, hit-and-run drivers and people convicted of fleeing from police. In my opinion, I think these changes are very important towards a safer environment and that drunk driving will now gradually drop due to legally being forced to have a breath sample taken. I believe drinking and driving will also be less common due to the risk of getting a harsh sentence.

What I learned:

From what I read, I learned about how the notwithstanding clause can be used and a few changes made to drunk driving laws. The notwithstanding clause allows the federal government or a provincial legislature to enact legislation to override several sections of the charter that deal with fundamental freedoms, legal rights and equality rights. This was very important for Doug Ford to use in order to reduce the Toronto city council. Drunk driving laws in B.C. have now become way stricter. Police officers can now ask for a breathalyzer test from drivers without any suspicion of impairment. There are also higher fines and higher maximum penalties.