It Is Time to Declare a National Emergency

In his address to the nation earlier today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that he was not ready to declare a national emergency in regards to Covid-19 but that the federal government was studying the data and all options were still on the table.  The number of cases in Canada today has reached over 1300 and there are now 20 deaths.  If we are going to get this crisis under control, we need to completely shut the country down for two weeks - that is, there must be a lock-down in which everyone except essential workers in health, public security, and food and medical supply is restricted to their home and can only emerge either to shop for groceries, fill prescriptions at pharmacies, or obtain emergency medical care.  Moreover, this needs to be enforced by public authorities with the power to stop individuals and ask why they are out and about or why they are in a group and not maintaining social distance. 

This must be done sooner rather than later.  This may seem to be an overreaction but in this type of situation it is better to overreact rather than under react if we want to have any hope of getting this under control and avoid what is happening in Spain or Italy.  We have had more lead time than those countries did and yet the federal government appears timid in its response.  The decision lag continues.  It is individual businesses and respective provincial governments that are taking action  by declaring emergencies and implementing changes in how things are done. 

The emergency economic action taken by the federal government is important but will not be effective if people are afraid.  The best way to protect the economy is to protect the health of Canadians and give then the confidence that comes with knowing the health effects of COVID-19 are being contained.  Perhaps, the federal government may feel that health is a provincial responsibility but under our constitution, the federal government has the overarching responsibility for peace, order and good government, the spending power and even the power of quarantine.  Is the government waiting to repatriate everyone from abroad trying to get back? But how can they all come back if other countries are shutting their borders and airlines are stopping flights?

Who really knows what is driving the current federal response.  One imagines if the elder Trudeau was currently Prime Minister, one would have seen the imposition of the War Measures Act to deal with this crisis. As draconian as that sounds, what other options are there to get people to stay home, comply with social distancing and stop the spread of the virus?