LETTER

LETTRE

Feds, please respond to Bill 96!

 

    The Canadian Party of Quebec (CaPQ) is asking federal Justice Minister and Attorney-General David Lametti and federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos – two Quebecers - to defend all Quebecers’ rights, re. Bill 96, on behalf of the Government of Canada.
    The CaPQ is asking:
 Render public an unredacted legal analysis off Bill 96;
 Speak out forcefully against Bill 96’s unconstitutional articles;
 Initiate a reference case on the constitutionality of Bill 96 as a whole to the Supreme Court of Canada, including an analysis of all Chapters/sections shielded by the notwithstanding clause. A Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Section 1 application to the notwithstanding clause should also be tested;
 In the event the Supreme Court is unable within one year of Bill 96’s passage to render judgments on the reference questions submitted, signal immediately the Government of Canada’s intention to use disallowance to protect the province’s most vulnerable residents if Quebec refuses to voluntarily rescind it.
    Nothing short of a pre-emptive strike against this illegitimate, immoral Bill 96 – now law in Quebec – by the federal government is needed to reassure Quebecers that minority rights, socioeconomic justice, and linguistic harmony still count for something in Canada. The Court’s decision may exceed the one-year limit for use of Disallowance, so the Trudeau government must act immediately.
    We ask Minister Duclos to demand that Quebec uphold the accessibility obligations, information requirements, and all access-to-care provisions stipulated under the CanadaHealth Act in order to continue satisfying the criteria for receiving the Canada Health Transfer [$10.15 billion in 2022-23] on an annual basis.
Colin Standish
Canadian Party of Quebec - Parti canadien du Québec 
Montréal