OTTAWA – Canada’s Minister of Health Patty Hajdu is telling Canadians to take social distancing seriously. The Minister speaking to media at a press conference in Ottawa on Saturday, March 21, 2020, said, “When people are playing loose and hard with the rules like this, it does actually put our civil liberties in jeopardy. It makes governments have to look at more stringent measures to actually contain people in their own homes.”
“I would encourage Canadians to think about that and to think about their obligation to act collectively right now.”
Minister Hajdu’s remarks were echoed by Prime Minister Trudeau. While the federal government has the power under the Emergencies Act to restrict movement, the Prime Minister stated, “We have not removed from the table any options. At this time, we do not see the federal emergencies act as an essential tool today”,
Prime Minister Trudeau said, “I want to thank the millions upon millions of Canadians who have self-isolated, who are engaged in social distancing.”
