Montreal public-safety committee to study mask ban Wednesday

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Federal government’s proposal to ban protestors from wearing masks during demonstrations is now seen with a skeptic eye. Experts have started to analyze how good or harm could the decision cause in the long run.

Montreal’s public-safety committee is to study the bylaw Wednesday and if approved it could be put into implementation within days. In that case, Montreal’s protests would become of a greater interest for the officials of other cities where the bylaw has yet not been imposed.

Moreover, it seems like the private-member’s bill C-309 is moving ahead swiftly through the House of Commons after it smoothly passed second reading. Canada could be witnessing a new law within months.

Banning masked protests was Montreal’s mayor, Gerald Tremblay, desperate attempt to mellow down the ongoing student protests against the hike in tuition fee. These demonstrations have resulted in costing the city millions in lost productivity, damage of daily vandalism, breaking public property and causing several injuries.

If the bill is passed, protestors wearing masks during demonstrations would be facing penalties ranging from $500 to $3,000. The bill has alarmed the civil libertarian societies.

“The concern is that both Bill C-309 and Montreal’s bylaw will give police free reign to arrest anyone wearing a mask,” said Andrew Lokan, a lawyer and external council to the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

On the other hand, the head of Montreal’s police union, Yves Francoeur, holds the Criminal Code responsible for police department’s lack of authority to intervene. He says police is forced to prove criminal intent before making an arrest.

“The police use their discretion on a daily basis. They will not issue a speeding ticket to a couple racing to the hospital to give birth, for example. The objective for us is to catch these trouble-makers before the situation spirals out of control, so that others, including families with children, can protest in peace and security,” said Francoeur.