COVID-19: Quebec opposition says it’s time to end state of emergency The Barreau du Québec said Monday it’s time the government explain why it still needs emergency powers.“Does the current situation require keeping the state of emergency?” Catherine Claveau, head of the bar association, wrote in a statement. “Are the measures that will be maintained during the deconfinement plan justified?
To answer these questions, the government must provide clear justifications for maintaining some ‘exceptional rules.”’Over the past two years, the Quebec government has used emergency powers to impose curfews, ban private gatherings and close businesses such as restaurants, bars and gyms.
The emergency orders have also been used to impose mandatory overtime on nurses and to cancel health workers’ vacations. COVID-19: ‘Quebec will not abandon its efforts’ amid lagging vaccination rates among young kids Claveau said the bar association is concerned the state of emergency has been renewed by the health minister, rather than by the province’s legislature.
Under Quebec’s Public Health Act, the legislature can renew a state of emergency for 30 days, or the health minister can do it himself or herself for 10 days without the support of other parties.“The Barreau du Québec questions this power, which has no time limit attached, nor a mechanism requiring the (legislature) be consulted after a certain period of time.