TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO:
WHEREAS Bill 39 overrides majority vote democracy in Ontario municipalities and is an attack on to Ontarians’ rights to democratic municipal elections and governance;
WHEREAS the use of the Notwithstanding Clause, which gives governments the power to overrides the Fundamental Freedoms and Legal Rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, tramples on the rights of Ontarians;
WHEREAS Premier Ford has used the Notwithstanding Clause on three separate occasions to change election rules in the middle of a campaign, to ban advertising potentially critical of the government in the 12 months leading up to his last provincial election, and to override the rights of education workers;
WHEREAS the Ontario Charter of Democratic Rights could guarantee the right to democratic municipal elections and governance and forbid the use of the Notwithstanding Clause to override Ontarians Charter Rights.
THEREFORE WE THE UNDERSIGNED petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to begin a consultation process to develop an Ontario Charter of Democratic Rights that will protect the democratic rights of Ontarians across the province.