Assignment Task: During March of 2020 Covid 19 breaks out across the globe. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford want to start enacting laws in order to help stop the spread of the virus.
Immediately Premier Ford announces that he will pass laws that make it illegal for any company to import face masks from the United States and that the Province of Ontario will not send any of their face mask stock piles to other Provinces in Canada. In addition Premier Ford announces that he will pass a Criminal law stating that anyone who violated social distancing can be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison.
Prime Minister Trudeau announces that he will be passing laws that state all high schools and courts will be closed until June 2020. The Prime Minister also says that he will be ordering all hospitals to discharge non-critical patients in order to free up hospital beds, so that hospitals can treat the new Covid patients that the country is expecting.
Based on the fact pattern above, identify any legal issues you can see with the actions of the Prime Minister and the Premier. Explain why these actions are a problem and explain what the Prime Minister and Premier should do.
To help with social distancing Prime Minister Trudeau wants to pass a law that states that all Canada Post (the Canadian postal service) offices will be closed to walk in traffic. Under this new law anyone wanting to send mail will have to leave it at their mailbox for pickup. The Prime Minister approaches you and asks what he should do to get this law passed. He also tells you that he is worried that this law could be challenged in court and wants to know how that could play out if the law was challenged in court. What is your advice to the Prime Minister?