The notwithstanding clause was put in for the provinces to say they could create laws that were notwithstanding the sections listed. An example would be the French language laws or if a province didn’t want to allow for same-sex marriages.

If you look at what is protected in the charter outside of the notwithstanding it's your right to speak English/French, vote every 5 years, and not be held without reason.

Furthermore, the charter is for governments, not the people. It states what the govt can & can't do to you. It has no bearing on the provincial. That's why there's an Ontario human rights code.

Nothing is stopping a federal majority government from turning Canada into a communist/libertarian country for 5 years.

We have no checks and balances like in the states. Our prime minister has much more power domestically compared to the US