Dear Editor:
RE: Democratic society? Feb. 29.
The answer to Pat Woode’s question is a resounding “yes.”
Despite the federal court’s decision on the government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act, we can still be confident of the democratic status of our society, because we know that the government’s decision was taken with a majority support of parliamentarians who represent us, and with the support of a majority of Canadians who were polled about it after the fact.
Pat Woode, and similarly thinking anti-Trudeau voters, need to consider this court’s decision in the context of other court decisions where right wing governments are held accountable.
Case in point would be the Premier Ford government’s recent violation of our constitutionally guaranteed freedom of association when the Ford government forced contracts on union workers in contravention of their legally established bargaining process. And here is the contrast I’m asking readers to consider: on one hand Trudeau is actually invoking an act (a law that is on the books) with actions that his government duly considers are necessary under that act, and with which the majority of Canadians agreed, and to which Trudeau and his Cabinet members have testified at hearings that they would do again, and which the court has finally ruled on.
Meanwhile, on the other hand, Ford’s action is taken completely outside of any act or law on the books, and in violation of the Constitution, and without the support of working Canadians, and without any independent inquiry or open hearings so the voters can eventually understand the government’s rationale.
I would much rather live in a democracy illustrated by a government operating within the context of laws and acting according to their interpretation of them, than a society illustrated by a Ford government where actions are taken arbitrarily and completely outside the context of established law.
David Fast,
Ariss