Have Human Rights been Violated During the Pandemic?

We are unable to isolate how successful the curfew was at reducing the spread of COVID-19 as it was in combination with other public health measures, so is the curfew absolutely necessary?

Catherine Descoteaux, coordinator of La ligue des droits et libertés doesn’t think so.

She says there is no proof curfew worked. In the second wave of COVID-19 in Canada, Quebec was listed as the 2nd most punitive province, in a study by The Canadian Council for Civil Liberties, also known as the CCLA.

During the curfew $31 million in fines were handed out. Descoteaux questions how this was useful for health? She identifies that it disproportionately affects marginalized communities, and ticketing, especially during the curfew, economically hits people, in particular marginalized communities, as well as affects their mental health as a result of financial stress.

She says during the pandemic the government has had to violate some human rights, however, they need to prove the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, such as proving their measures adequately reduce the transmission of COVID-19. She said curfew ultimately is a violation of human rights, but the government has not proved the positives outweigh the negatives.

This interview was used for an episode of Local 514, focused on how Montreal and Quebec's government have used punitive measures to deal with the pandemic.

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