Jamaican tech firm Optimity to launch innovative e-wallet platform in Dubai by 2025When Quebec Premier François Legault publicly vowed to put a stop to praying in public places, he said he could once again turn to a rare legal tool to put the measure into law. It's called the notwithstanding clause, and it can be used to shield laws from legal challenges over violations of fundamental rights. Legal experts say the increasing tendency of provincial premiers to use it, however, is a worrying trend that disregards the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. "The notwithstanding clause has to be used only in the case of an emergency with very, you know, important issues. You cannot use that just like that, just for fun, just to score some political points, right? And this is what we're seeing right now," said Frédéric Bérard, a constitutional lawyer and partner at GBM Lawyers, in an interview on Monday. Legault made the surprising comments about prayer last Friday on the last day of the fall legislative session, after reacting to a La Presse report that a high school north of Montreal was allowing praying in classrooms and hallways, as well as the disruption of a play on sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy prevention. "There are teachers who are bringing Islamist religious concepts into Quebec schools," he told reporters in Quebec City. "I will definitely not tolerate that. We don't want that in Quebec." The premier went a step further, saying he is promising to also ban prayers in public spaces, such as parks and streets, and that his government is "looking at all possibilities, including the use of the notwithstanding clause." The premier will have no choice but to invoke the notwithstanding clause because outright banning prayer in parks would be "a clear violation of freedom of religion," and would be struck down by the courts, Bérard said. Threatening to use section 33 of the Constitution to make it a crime flies in the face of the rule of law, according to Bérard, who is concerned about "politicians that are playing around with [it] like it has no consequences." "It has to be a serious case. We need to have, like, an emergency. We need to have something real, something pretty, pretty grave. And we don't see that here. And frankly, it's a shame," said Bérard, also a lecturer at the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Law. CCLA launches 'Save the Charter' campaign The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) cited Quebec's uses of the notwithstanding clause as an example of "horrendous violations" of people's fundamental rights in a new campaign launched on Tuesday called "Save the Charter." It aims to raise awareness about the dangers of the provinces' continued use of the special legal measure. "If our rights and freedoms can easily be overridden, our Charter is meaningless," reads a description of the campaign. Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, director of the CCLA's Fundamental Freedoms Program, told a news conference in Ottawa Tuesday that Legault's threat to use the Charter override to ban public prayer came days after an advisory committee appointed by the Quebec government recommended the province adopt its own constitution and take steps to secure its autonomy. "I mean this is a very, very dangerous trend to be following and this would be, if [Legault] goes forward with this initiative, this would be a direct violation of the freedom of religion and freedom of expression as well," Bussières McNicoll said. "And we have to keep in mind the fact that this would be the start of shrinking our civic space, because parks and streets are places where people should be able to gather peacefully — and not by blocking circulation, of course — but gather peacefully to express their opinions, but also their faith, to exercise their Charter protected rights." Ontario, Saskatchewan invoking the clause The Legault government has already invoked the notwithstanding clause preemptively twice since taking power — in 2019 to pass Quebec's secularism law that bans certain civil servants from wearing religious symbols in the workplace and again in 2021 when the provincial government tabled Bill 96 to limit the use of English in certain situations. Earlier this month, the premier said his government might invoke it to pass another law — one that would force new doctors to practise in the public system for five years. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has used it twice — in 2021 to impose limitations on third-party political expression for a year prior to an election, and again the following year to ban education workers from striking. Last week, he threatened to use it again to target homeless encampments . In 2023, Saskatchewan used it to ban transgender students from using their chosen names and pronouns in schools without formal permission from their parents. The CCLA said it was "never meant to circumvent normal court process or to be used regularly by any government to override the rule of law" when it was added during the 1981 constitutional settlement negotiations. In February, Quebec’s Court of Appeal upheld the province’s secularism law, Bill 21. Bérard and the CCLA are among the stakeholders involved in challenging the law at the Supreme Court, which has not yet decided whether it will hear the case. Legault has said Bill 21 was a reasonable approach to ensure Quebec remains secular. But Bérard said his actions prove otherwise. "Yeah, of course. Where did he spend the weekend again? OK, yeah, that's probably for secularism," he asked rhetorically, in reference to Legault's recent trip to Paris to watch the reopening of the Notre-Dame Catholic Cathedral. "[The prayer ban] is so 'deux poids de mesure' as we say in French (a double standard), and it's just a matter of how can I score electoral gains?" He's not the only one raising concerns about Legault's repeated use — or threat to use — the notwithstanding clause. In an op-ed in the Montreal Gazette on Tuesday to mark Human Rights Day, The Ligue des droits et libertés wrote that Legault's recent intention to use the notwithstanding clause to ban prayer in public places "demonstrates this dangerous trend toward weakening human rights protections." "The current rhetoric on 'Quebec values' is particularly problematic, as the values of a majority, as defined by a government sensitive to the vagaries of public opinion, can pose a direct threat to rights and contribute to the exclusion or marginalization of certain minorities," the LDL wrote. "The LDL insists on the need to ensure the protection of human rights, notably through Charters, and reiterates that these rights must never be subservient to the values of the majority."22bet slots 。

NORAD’s Santa tracker began in the Cold War. Here’s why it’s still goingUS Says Review of Nippon-US Steel Tie-Up Ongoing as US Steel Shares TumbleAurora is looking at installing electrical vehicle charging stations at the new Public Works building on the far East Side of the city. Aldermen at this week’s Infrastructure and Technology Committee meeting recommended an agreement with Maryland-based Blink Network, LLC to install 10 EV charging stations at the new building, with the potential of more at other city buildings. The cost of the stations to the city would be $68,396. At least half the overall cost of the project would be paid for through a ComEd grant program that would provide up to $8,000 for each station up to 10. With the grant program available, Ian Wade, of the city’s Engineering Division, said officials thought it would be good to find “a consistent vendor” to develop a single, standardized charging network for the city, as well as a revenue collection system. “The grant was the catalyst to get a vendor to take advantage,” Wade said. The city would have four dual port charging stations at the front of the building, outside the fence, so both staff members and the public could take advantage of them. Because they are dual port, it would actually allow eight vehicles to charge at once. There would be six more dual port installations for city use only at the facility. Blink also would rough in 10 to 12 EV charging stations inside the fleet storage area, for a longer term use “when we can get large EVs,” Wade said. “We’re looking ahead to the future,” he said. Wade said city officials decided that rather than finding a charging “product off the shelf and installing it,” the city would go through the request for queries process. Blink was one of three vendors that responded. “We wanted to select a vendor the right way, that we feel comfortable with going forward with the future,” he said. He said while the city is getting a grant for the first 10 stations, ComEd will continue to make the program available until the money is used up. The city is looking at other programs that provide such grants, Wade said. “I think it’s a great idea,” said Ald. Brandon Tolliver, 7th Ward, a committee member. “I appreciate the proactiveness on this, especially for the potential of having the bigger vehicles, if that ever happens.” slord@tribpub.com

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