EXPLAINER: Election finance law, the notwithstanding clause and third party ads

How the coming days and months could play out

Good Thursday morning. This is Queen’s Park Observer.

ABOVE THE FOLD

For the first time in provincial history, Premier DOUG FORD will invoke the Constitution’s notwithstanding clause which allows provinces to override Charter rights, in order to bypass a Superior Court ruling that struck down his government’s restrictions on third-party election ad spending. Here’s what it means.

Between the lines: Working Families’ lawyer PAUL CAVALLUZZO told me that introducing the notwithstanding clause instead of going the appeal route or introducing Charter-compliant legislation is effectively an acknowledgement that the government’s original bill was unconstitutional.

“They’ve completely flouted that, showing complete disrespect for the judiciary and the Charter, and have acted in this despotic way,” Cavalluzzo said.

The court challenge was launched by the union-backed group and prolific third party advertiser (think: ominous attack ads against then-PC leader TIM HUDAK), which is now weighing n…