Quebec court upholds province’s COVID-19 curfew after Charter challenge
MONTREAL — A provincial court justice of the peace has upheld the Quebec government’s imposition of curfews during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding several people guilty of breaking the health order during a protest.
Marie-France Beaulieu of the Quebec court ruled Tuesday that the curfew — which forced Quebecers to stay indoors from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. — infringed Charter-protected rights like freedom of expression and lawful assembly, but she said those violations were reasonable and justified given the public health context.
“The pandemic and the rapid increase in (COVID-19) cases constitute exceptional circumstances raising public health issues, this situation forced the government to adopt measures to reduce the risks of spread in order to protect the life and health of the population,” Beaulieu wrote in a 65-page ruling.
“In other words, as no one could predict with certainty what the long-term impacts of the upheavals caused by COVID-19 would be, it was necessary to take appropriate means, including the use of a curfew.”