The majority of Canadians in all provinces but Quebec want the “notwithstanding clause” abolished, according to a recent survey.
The Angus Reid survey released on Thursday says 55% of all Canadians would scrap the clause, whereas 63% of Quebecois say it should stay put.
The majority of Canadians say the rising use of the clause is concerning.
The notwithstanding clause is a term in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms which allows for certain rights to be overridden when bringing in new legislation.
The clause was used in 2022 by the provincial governments of Ontario and Quebec to usher in legislation that would otherwise be illegal. Most Canadians (58%) said this rising use is concerning.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s attempted use of the clause to undermine an education-workers’ strike was unacceptable to six-in-ten Canadians, the survey said.
Inside Ontario, opinions were strongly tied to political leaning.
Those who voted Conservative in the province’s 2022 election were nearly six-times more likely to say Ford’s move was acceptable than their counterparts who voted Liberal or NDP.
Quebec Premier François Legault’s use of the notwithstanding clause to restrict English-speaking in the province was considered acceptable by roughly six-times more Quebecois than Canadians from any other province.
Federal Conservative voters were nearly twice more likely than Liberals to say the notwithstanding clause does not damage national unity.
