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House Hansard - 157

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 9, 2023 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 157 - Feb/9/23
Mr. Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, NDP)
  • Feb/9/23 10:30:45 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, before asking my colleague a question, I would like to remind him of two things. First, he does not have a monopoly on speaking for the Quebec nation. Fortunately, that honour is shared by many of my colleagues in the House. Second, I hope that he also shares the vision of the French philosopher Camus, who reminded us that democracy is not the law of the majority, but the protection of the minority. I am sure that his colleague from Jonquière reminds him of that from time to time. With respect to invoking the notwithstanding clause, there have been several cases of misuse in recent years. We saw that in Saskatchewan and Ontario recently. The government attacked the unions and workers' rights by pre-emptively and inappropriately invoking the notwithstanding clause. Does my colleague agree with me that, as progressives, our first duty is to set guidelines for the use of the notwithstanding clause in order to prevent attacks on workers' right to freedom of association and to collective bargaining?
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