QUEBEC CITY (LifeSiteNews) – Internal emails reveal that the Quebec government had no basis in science for implementing a curfew as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID during the so-called pandemic.
According to internal emails between Quebec officials obtained by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), just six hours before the December 30 press conference where the government announced a curfew was being implemented to fight the spread of COVID, the government was still searching for a shred of scientific evidence that could be cited to justify the order.
While then-Quebec public health chief Horacio Arruda had made the decision to implement a curfew on his population the day before, it was at 10:31 a.m. on December 30, the day the measure was officially announced, that his assistant asked fellow officials on his behalf, “Horacio would like you and your teams (!) to provide him with an argument in relation to the curfew in anticipation of questions from reporters at the 5pm press conference tonight.”
“Dr. Arruda wants to know two things, ‘1) What are the studies, 2) What is being done elsewhere?'” continued Arruda’s assistant, adding that the doctor wants “everything in a tight argument.”
Less than three hours before the 5 p.m. conference, associate vice president for scientific affairs for the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) Éric Litvak, replied, “On the INSPQ side, we don’t have an existing analysis that specifically addresses the curfew, and we are unfortunately unable to produce one today with such short notice.” This confirms that a scientific justification for the measure did not exist.
Under the curfew, which lasted two weeks before it was axed on January 17, people were not allowed out of their homes between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. If caught violating curfew, they were subject to fines between 1,000 and 6,000 Canadian dollars.
The Ministry of Health was subsequently questioned about why they chose to implement the measure, and on February 7 the ministry claimed it was not their job “to conduct scientific research or to improve a legal argument.” It said the decision was based on evidence collected by organizations including INSPQ. However, the newly published emails show that Livak, speaking on behalf of the INSPQ itself, had avowed just three hours before the announcement that it was impossible for them to provide such evidence.
“The Quebec government’s most authoritarian covid measure, the curfew, had no scientific basis. They were still looking for studies to justify it a few hours before the announcement, internal emails reveal,” wrote federal People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier on social media, in response to the emails.
“Why should we believe them on everything else?” he asked.
The Quebec government’s most authoritarian covid measure, the curfew, had no scientific basis. They were still looking for studies to justify it a few hours before the announcement, internal emails reveal.
Why should we believe them on everything else??https://t.co/gtl3fk1RZV
— Maxime Bernier (@MaximeBernier) March 2, 2022
It was during the implementation of the curfew, on January 10, that Arruda announced he was resigning from him post, citing an “erosion” in public trust caused by heavy-handed measures.
While Quebec continued to impose strict COVID measures after Arruda’s departure, the province has since taken steps to end all so-called COVID-19 restrictions. As with the relaxation of COVID measures in other provinces, this followed the massive Freedom Convoy protests that overtook the nation’s capital of Ottawa for weeks last month.