(Fredericton) New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs is not ruling out the use of the notwithstanding clause in a bill that would allow authorities to force drug addicts into treatment.
Mr. Higgs told reporters Tuesday that the “Humanitarian Intervention Act” was not ready to be tabled.
But he indicated he would not rule out using the provision in the Constitution that shields bills from legal challenges even if they violate certain sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Last week, Public Safety Minister Kris Austin said the idea behind the bill was to force people with serious drug addictions into treatment if they are not in their mental state. allowing this decision to be made voluntarily.
Mr. Austin declined to specify whether such forced treatment would violate individual rights guaranteed by the Charter: he said the Minister of Justice would be better able to answer that question.
New Brunswick’s most recent budget, tabled in March, includes start-up costs for a 50-bed drug rehabilitation center. Mr. Higgs argued in January that the new center could treat up to 140 people at a time, depending on the length of their stay.
The draft “humanitarian intervention law” is expected to be tabled in the Legislative Assembly next May.