Quebec considering special law to prevent anti-vax protesters from blocking access to hospitals, schools
Quebec premier François Legault said Tuesday it’s “unacceptable” that people have been protesting against the vaccine passport outside hospitals and schools recently, adding the province could turn to the law to put an end to these demonstrations.
While thousands of people have filled the streets of downtown Montreal and other Quebec cities to protest the public health measure, only a fraction of those crowds showed up at hospitals and schools in the last few weeks.
About a dozen protesters showed up at the Glen hospital on Decarie Blvd. on Sept. 13, a far cry from the thousands that marched through the island’s core at the beginning of the month.
Still, with protesters also showing up at schools and allegedly harassing students, the premier said he is considering an extra measure to keep health-care workers and youth safe.
It would be a law to create a safe zone around such building, similar to the one introduced by Quebec in 2016 to prevent demonstrations within 50 metres of abortion clinics.
“We’re not ruling out anything,” Legault said Tuesday at a press scrum at the National Assembly.
“Indeed, that could be a special law that we’re looking at, if we have the right, if we can do it.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, too, had promised during the election campaign that he would introduce legislation that would make it illegal for protesters to block access to hospitals after several protests took place across the country.
But experts have come out saying those laws already exist in the Criminal Code and that police, in some cases, just aren’t enforcing them.
“It’s unacceptable to have anti-vaccine protesters in front of our schools, in front of our hospitals,” Legault said Tuesday. “I can’t tolerate that.”
Following his remarks, education minister Jean-François Roberge, who has previously said he was “outraged” by protesters showing up at the Louis-Riel high school, tweeted on Tuesday “Let's leave the students out of these protests!”
Already this school year, there have been five anti-vaccine demonstrations near schools in Montreal, according to Liberal education critic Marwah Rizqy, who said she has seen children being shouted at and filmed by protesters.
On Tuesday at the National Assembly, she suggested a short-term solution would be to seek an injunction whenever a protest is announced on social media.
"We can't just tweet our outrage anymore, we have to take action," she said from her seat in the Blue Room. "We have to protect the children before it gets out of hand."
More protests are being planned in Montreal and elsewhere, with Facebook events describing them as demonstrations against “dictatorial governments” and their “Nazi passport.”
--With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.