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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 20 ,2 01 8 | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised family of newspapers is comprised f of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editor@oakvillebeaver.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeavfacebook.com/OakvilleBeavf @OakvilleBeaver WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Regional Manager Digital Content Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman Director of Production Mark Dills Regional Production Manager Manny Garcia Regional General Manager Steve Foreman Halton Media General Manager Vicki Dillane Regional Director of Media Holly Chriss CONTACT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 289-293-0617 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyer/Retail: 289-293-0624 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We for verification purposes. We f reserve the right to edit, con- dense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM EDITORIAL Regardless of where you live and how you identify politically, Premier Doug Ford's decision to ram through his plan to slash Toronto council from 47 wards to 25 via section 33 of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms should trouble you. While the so-called notwithstanding clause has been invoked by other provinces in the past - twice by Saskatchewan and numerous times by Quebec -- it has never been used in Ontario. And that's not a bad thing given that the purpose of section 33 is to allow Parliament or a provincial government to override certain sections of the charter, specifically sections 2 (fundamental freedoms) and 7 through 15 (legal and equality rights) inclusively, to further its legislative agenda. Since the ruling by Superior Court Justice Edward Belobaba that struck down Ford's council-cutting legislation, on the grounds it violated the rights to freedom of expression for election candidates andfreedom of expression for election candidates andf voters under section 2b of the charter, the matter has become the subject of some debate. Former PC premier Bill Davis has come out against using the clause, as has former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who happens to be the father of Ford's at- torney general, York-Simcoe MPP Caroline Mulroney. The list of supporters of Ford using the clause include former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall and formerformer Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall and formerf B.C. premier Christy Clark. That said, there's no disputing Ford has the legal right to use the notwithstanding clause, just as no one can argue the province doesn't have the authority to pass whatever laws it wants in relation to munici- palities. Belobaba himself acknowledges this in his ruling, but he also takes considerable issue with the fact the changes were imposed during an electionfact the changes were imposed during an electionf campaign already underway. By now, we know the premier is fond of throwing the word democracy around, but between suspending charter rights to get his way and the scene that un- folded in the public gallery at Queen's Park last week,folded in the public gallery at Queen's Park last week,f where some protesters were led out in handcuffs, our nascent PC government looks an awful lot like some- thing else. Ford also likes to imply he has carte blanche owing to the fact that 2.3 million voters supported his party, and yet this ignores the fact over 3.3 million people voted for somebody else. Ultimately, what makes this whole episode so wor- rying is that Ford has indicated he would have no qualms with using the notwithstanding clause again. It begs the question: if he's willing to ignore some of our rights for the sake of a relatively trivial goal such as this, what's the next issue that will lead him to conclude the charter is nothing more than an impedi- ment to his belligerent will? WILL WE WITHSTAND FORD'S NOTWITHSTANDING CLAUSE USE? As we settle into the rou- tines of a new school year, many families struggle to pay for school-related ex- penses. It is essential that young Canadians have op-young Canadians have op-y portunities to succeed, so our federal government has made significant invest- ments to support them and their futures. The cost of new clothing, backpacks and school sup- plies for our growing chil- dren can really add up. That's why we are helping families pay for day-to-dayfamilies pay for day-to-dayf expenses with the Canada Child Benefit (CCB). Parents now receive up to $6,500 annually for every child under six, and up to $5,500 annually for children aged six and 17. The CCB is tax-free and indexed to in- flation. Families have re-flation. Families have re-f ceived thousands more from CCB than from Ste-from CCB than from Ste-f phen Harper's plan. Most jobs now require some form of post-second- ary education. To assist stu- dents from low- and middle- income families, we have in- creased funding for non-re- payable Canada Student Grants by 50 per cent. Now, post-secondary ed- ucation will be more afford- able for 46,000 additional students each year. Adult learners are receiving help, too: Students with children have more access to grants, and we're piloting a grant program for students who have been out of high school for at least 10 years.for at least 10 years.f Preparing students to transition from school to work is another important goal for our federal govern- ment. We increased our in- vestment in the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) pro- gram, doubling the number of students who could par- ticipate. Oakville received over $1 million through CSJ this summer, creating 374 jobs for our students. It was veryfor our students. It was veryf rewarding for me to hear first-hand from the stu-first-hand from the stu-f dents, small businesses and non-profits who benefited from this summer's place-from this summer's place-f ments. In addition, our fed- eral government has intro- duced the Student Work Placement Program, creat- ing thousands of co-op op- portunities for students to learn job-ready skills and gain valuable work experi- ence. I have touched on just a few of the many supportsfew of the many supportsf and programs that our fed- eral government is provid- ing to families and students. Together with employersTogether with employersT and other levels of govern- ment, we are creating brighter futures for stu- dents and lifelong learners. John Oliver is the mem- ber of parliament for the Oakville riding. Visit joh- noliver.mp or contact him at john.oliver@parl.gc.ca. HELPING STUDENTS OF ALL AGES SUCCEED 'WE ARE CREATING BRIGHTER FUTURES FOR STUDENTS AND LIFELONG LEARNERS,' WRITES OLIVER JOHN OLIVER Column