Unnecessary’: Canadian province moves to repeal sweeping COVID powers law
Anthony Murdoch
In a statement, Alberta's health minister said it is 'clear' that the overwhelming government powers granted by Bill 10 are no longer needed.
EDMONTON, Alberta, October 19, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — One of Canada’s largest provinces is set to scrap a controversial bill originally put forth to combat COVID-19. The bill has been called a “betrayal of the electorate and of the rule of law.”
Last Thursday, Alberta’s health minister, Tyler Shandro, announced that the United Conservative Government under Premier Jason Kenney will repeal Bill 10, the Alberta Public Health (Emergency Powers) Amendment Act, 2020.
In a statement about Bill 10, Shandro said that it is “clear” that such government powers are no longer needed.
“Over the last number of months, it has become clear that with the right safety protocols in place and standing orders that allow for the assembly to work quickly in an emergency situation, the power to modify legislation by ministerial order is unnecessary,” Shandro said in his statement.
In May, the Alberta-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) filed a legal challenge over Bill 10 after having announced earlier in April its intention to do so.
The JCCF suit argued that Bill 10, which was passed in 48 hours in early April, gave the Alberta government and its ministers too much power, allowing them to enact laws with no legislative oversight or debate.
Jay Cameron, a lawyer for the JCCF, told LifeSiteNews that the repeal of Bill 10, along with another controversial law, Bill 24, came about because of the JCCF’s court challenge.
“The Special Committee on Bill 10 and Bill 24’s amendments to the Public Health Act was constituted in response to the litigation the Justice Centre launched, and the concerns that we have publicly expressed,” Cameron told LifeSiteNews.
“The substance of these concerns is that Bill 10 vests legislative power in Cabinet Ministers, meaning that one Minister can unilaterally create expansive new laws during a public health emergency. This obviously nullifies the democratic process and the constitutional checks and balances on legislative power, which is highly alarming.”
In his statement about Bill 10, Shandro said a “Special Select Public Health Act Review Committee” was formed to review the Alberta Public Health Act “in light of our experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/unnecessary-canadian-province-moves-to-repeal-sweeping-covid-powers-law?utm_source=top_news&utm_campaign=standard