SASKATOON—Liberal members of Parliament from Toronto unanimously condemned Thursday Premier Doug Ford’s decision to use the constitutional override clause to cut Toronto city council.In a statement obtained by the Star, all 25 federal MPs from the city of Toronto called on all provincial MPPs to defeat Ford’s legislation tabled Wednesday at Queen’s Park, calling the premier’s resort to s. 33 — the “notwithstanding” clause never before invoked by Ontario — “heavy-handed and disrespectful.”“We believe MPPs elected in Toronto have a responsibility to defend the city, its democratic institutions, and the rights of citizens to a free and fair municipal election. The people of Toronto deserve nothing less.”They quoted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s declaration that the Liberal party will always “defend the Charter” and said “but this is not a partisan issue” noting former prime minister Brian Mulroney, premiers and municipal leaders “of all political stripes have denounced Ford’s triggering of the notwithstanding clause. The correct response to a court decision one disagrees with is to appeal.”The statement — the first of its kind — is signed “The Toronto Liberal MPs” and it includes several high-profile cabinet ministers such as Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Science and Sport Kirsty Duncan, and Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed Hussen.It says that the elected representatives of the city “want to assure the people of Toronto that we understand and respect the critical role that city hall and local democracy play in building the communities in which we live.”However Trudeau has already ruled out intervening in the dispute.Julie Dabrusin, MP for Toronto-Danforth and a spokesperson ...
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