Quebec likely to use notwithstanding clause again for new language law, despite concerns by court

The Quebec government will “probably” use the notwithstanding clause to protect its language law reforms from charter challenges, Premier François Legault said Thursday.

His comments come just days after the Quebec Superior Court severely criticized the government for how it used the clause in the Laicity Act, the 2019 law that bans many civil servants from wearing religious symbols at work.

The notwithstanding clause, Section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, allows provincial governments to override certain basic freedoms guaranteed