OTTAWA - Justice Minister Sean Fraser has rejected calls from five premiers for Ottawa to withdraw its legal argument calling for limits on the use of the Constitution's notwithstanding clause.

Fraser said it would be "unimaginable" for a federal government to steer clear of a case affecting Charter rights that will have lasting impacts. He suggested the premiers' argument is "untenable."

The minister, who is also attorney general, told reporters Wednesday morning this should be a legal matter decided through the courts, not the subject of political debate and pressure.

"The interplay of the notwithstanding clause, vis-a-vis the rights and freedoms that the Charter guarantees to all Canadians, is something that will be of national importance, that will have lasting impacts," Fraser said

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