The prime minister did not mention Ontario Premier Doug Ford but his assertion came just as the Ford government was reintroducing legislation to reduce the size of Toronto’s city council — using the Constitution’s notwithstanding clause to override the charter. “Our government will always stand up for the rights of Canadians and will always respect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” Trudeau said in French as he opened the two-day caucus retreat. We will always defend and uphold the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the fundamental rights and freedoms of every Canadian,” he reiterated in English. But it’s not just federal Conservatives the Liberals are preparing to campaign against. Moe signalled that the federal Liberals will have another fight on their hands if they move to ban handguns and assault weapons in Canada — as some Liberal MPs and Toronto and Montreal city councils are urging the government to do.

Source: National Post September 12, 2018 16:52 UTC