On March 11, GSL Director Steven Hoffman was featured in an article in the Globe and Mail discussing if the Canadian government had similar quarantining powers as the relevant political and public health players in Italy and China.
In the article, Hoffman explains that although the government has a lot of options due to the Quarantine Act, it has to apply measures in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He added that the 2005 Quarantine Act allows the federal minister of health to take steps including designating any site in Canada as a quarantine area and to require specific things of individuals. For example, if a person was to come into the country, the act could allow the government to impose diagnostic testing on individuals and even require their medical treatment. It also outlines powers to force people into quarantine and the application of steep punishments for breaking the order.
Previous