NEWS
SERVICE
Dote'
Manitoba Government
Information Services Branch
Legislative Building, Winnipeg
MANITOBA
Phone 946-7175
July 2. 1971.
MANITOBA ACCEPTS
VICTORIA CHARTER
But Wants Changes If
Sections Re-Negotiated
The Manitoba government has told Ottawa it is prepared to recommend the
proposed constitutional charter to the legislature for ratification .- but it would
want certain sections reconsidered if the charter is opened for re-negotiation.
Premier Ed Schreyer said approval of the charter now may just be academic,
ut the province was making its position known in event there still was a possibility
of unanimous concurrence.
If the proposed charter, or sections of it, are later re-negotiated,
Manitoba would like to have the section dealing with the right of universal suffrage
accompanied by a requirement for representation by population, within reasonable
tolerances.
As well, the province would like to see the federal court empowered to act
as court of "original jurisdiction" in inter-provincial disputes. The premier
earlier had described the Canadian system as "perhaps unique" among federal governments in not having a provision for interprovincial disputes to be beard directly by
a federal court.
Here is the full text of the message sent June 28 by Premier Schreyer to
the secretary of the Constitutional Conference:
"Be advised that the Government of Manitoba is willing to recommend the
proposed constitutional charter to the Legislature for ratification. I realize that
this matter may now be academic but since there may still be a possibility of unanimous concurrence being achieved even if belatedly, the Manitoba Government is making
its position known at this time.
"Since the proposals, as arrived at in Victoria, are not accepted by all
the provinces then in the event that any part or section is opened up for re.inegotiation, Manitoba will want to reconsider de novo certain sections of the proposed
charter. I refer, for example, to the section relating to the entrenchment of the
right of universal suffrage and what we have proposed as an accompanying requirement
of representation by population within reasonable tolerances. We would want also to
consider more positively the need for giving the federal court the power to act as a
court of original jurisdiction in inter-provincial disputes."
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