Police in this province now have more power.
Bill 38, which gives police further enforcement measures around the travel ban in place due to COVID-19, was the topic in the House of Assembly yesterday.
Premier Dwight Ball says it was needed to give enforcement tools to the RNC and RCMP which allow them to detain people, execute searches without warrants and send people arriving in the province back, if necessary.
Ball says that type of enforcement is a last resort, as information and education for those traveling to Newfoundland and Labrador are of more importance.
The province can send someone back from where they came. For example, that may mean having to jump on the next Marine Atlantic ferry to Nova Scotia or on a plane to the traveler’s point of origin. The Premier says the return would be at the cost of the individual, but if they needed to stay overnight, that would be covered by the provincial government.
Ball says that’s to prevent another cluster or outbreak as they start relaxing some of the measures in the alert system.
He says when it comes to detaining someone, it’s not about being forceful; it’s about making people aware of the situation in the province.
Bill Draws Differing Reactions from Opposition Parties
Meanwhile, the two opposition leaders had slightly different tones when it came to Bill 38.
PC Leader Ches Crosbie says they negotiated some amendments to the travel ban order over the last day that he says some in the legal community find “offensive.” To find a better balance, Crosbie says they negotiated with the provincial government to expand the categories of people who would be considered for travel to the province instead of arguing over the enforcement provisions themselves.
Government has agreed to consider comments from the Canadian Bar Association on whether they’ve struck the appropriate constitutional balance with mobility rights contained in the Charter.
NDP Leader Alison Coffin says they’re always concerned with expanding police powers. However, the measures were very important.
Coffin says in order for Chief Medical Officer Dr. Janice Fitzgerald’s order to be imposed, there has to be a mechanism to enforce it, so it’s absolutely necessary. She believes Dr. Fitzgerald has gone through all the checks and balances, and talked to the right people to ensure the proper measures have been taken.
