Nova Scotia Going Nuclear with its Covid-19 Response
If you think something is off about the response to COVID-19, you are not alone. To quote NS Privacy Lawyer David Fraser,
“I’m concerned in it as far as the rule of law is concerned,” said Fraser. “So if the police are being given the power to enforce these orders, that should only happen when the public has access to those orders and understands what exactly is contained in them, otherwise police are just enforcing a press release.”
While Fraser says he doesn’t disagree with any of the new regulations, he says both police and citizens should have a clear idea of what is expected.
“People need to have access to the law and understand what the law is and what’s the full extent of state powers, but particularly in a time when police and health authorities have been given extraordinary powers. We need to know exactly what those are,” said Fraser.
The province sent Global the order posted below, which outlines all the new rules and regulations enforced by the government:
https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/COVID-19-Global-Order-2020-03-23.PDF
In the meantime, police say they are getting their direction from the province, and the Minister of Justice.
The problem with this arrangement is that it could continue indefinitely, just because The Powers That Be like it that way. For example, prior to 1917, Canadians kept 100% of their paycheques. The Income Tax was introduced as a temporary “War Act” but once money started flowing in, it became permanent. Now, a leaked internal document from the Department of National Defense (DND) indicates that the military may conduct the “mass vaccination” of civilians.
