Sask. government rejects NDP legislation reviewing future use of notwithstanding clause

Saskatchewan's justice minister is rejecting the latest legislative proposal from the NDP Opposition, one that the NDP says is a necessary check on government power.

On Thursday, the NDP introduced Bill 611, the Constitutional Questions (Notwithstanding Clause Referral) Amendment Act.

If passed, the private member's bill would refer any piece of future legislation that invokes the notwithstanding clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to the provincial Court of Appeal.

The court would be asked to offer its opinion on whether the law violates sections of the Charter.

"This bill would apply to any use of the notwithstanding clause. Our focus is on the most immediate threats that have been seen lately in Canada, which is what [Alberta Premier] Danielle Smith did in Albert