There's nothing to be proud of for limiting anti-vaccine protests in Quebec, says opposition critic
Quebec should not be proud of passing a bill banning any demonstration related to COVID-19 within 50 meters of thousands of establishments, said opposition critic Andrés Fontecilla on Friday.
"To say that it is a glorious day for Quebec democracy because we restrict a fundamental right, I will not go that far," he said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
The party's public security critic reflected on what has been described by the François Legault government as a "great day" after Bill 105 unanimously passed in the National Assembly Thursday.
The new bill temporarily bans anti-vaccine protesters from demonstrating too close to daycares, schools, CEGEPs and all health and social service institutions, including COVID-19 screening and vaccination clinics.
It also allows police to impose stiff fines on anyone who organizes, incites or participates in an anti-vaccine demonstration within 50 metres of these locations.
Fontecilla called the law a "security and punitive overkill."
"Yes, protecting our children, staff ... or vulnerable people is something that must be done ... but there was a kind of triumphalism that was going on."
INTERNAL DEBATES WITHIN QS
Fontecilla admits that Bill 105 has been the subject of heated debate within his own party since Premier Legault announced he would table it.
He says the party would have preferred the bill to only regulate demonstrations that aim to dissuade a person from being vaccinated against COVID-19 or from respecting sanitary measures.
"Did we act too quickly?" asked Fontecilla. "That's for history to say. I think we could have discussed at greater length certain elements of this law."
He says he recognizes that there was an "urgent need to act" to prevent children, in particular, from being intimidated by conspiracy theorists at lunch time.
However, Fontecilla said he was "angry" that the law included CEGEPs, where older students "are perfectly capable of being exposed to political debate and making informed decisions."
Bill 105 was passed unanimously in the National Assembly, though Independent MNA Claire Samson, who joined the Conservative Party of Quebec, abstained from voting.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 23, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.