The NDP is taking steps it says will make it harder for future Manitoba governments to invoke the Charter’s notwithstanding clause — a measure the premier says has been used in recent years by other governments to enact legislation targeting religious groups and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Premier Wab Kinew introduced Bill 50, The Constitutional Questions Amendment Act, on Thursday.

If passed into law, a Manitoba government that invokes the clause in the future would be required to lay out its rationale to an appeal court judge. The judge would be allowed to comment on the merit of its use, but wouldn’t have the power to stop the government from moving forward.