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Tag: civil liberties

  • Canadian Drug Policy Coalition/ Doalition canadienne des politiques sur les drogues

    Unions Can Take a Stand on Drug Policy

    Bad drug policy hurts workers. You’d be hard-pressed to find somebody in this country whose community hasn’t been affected by the drug poisoning crisis.

    That’s why it’s so important when labour unions take a stand on drug policy.

    There’s momentum building in the labour movement to protect workers and their communities from the unregulated drug supply that causes so much harm. In the last year, we’ve seen unions pass unanimous and near-unanimous resolutions at conventions declaring their support for safe supply, decrying involuntary treatment and demanding regulation for the treatment industry. 

    We would like to thank these unions for their leadership, passing resolutions on drug policy:

    If you’re a union member and your union isn’t on this list, you can organize your fellow workers. Reach out to [email protected] for more information.

    For more than a hundred years, the labour movement has been a driving force for social and economic change in this country. Whether it be childcare, healthcare, workplace safety or environmental protection, with the strength of hundreds of thousands of members, union power can propel massive shifts toward more equitable, safer communities. Labour and organized workers can play a key role in work to end the drug war and reinvest in our communities.

    Together we say: No More Drug War on the Shop Floor!

  • Policing the Pandemic: Tracking the Policing of Covid-19 across Canada

    Policing the Pandemic: Tracking the Policing of Covid-19 across Canada

    policing the pandemic policing the pandemic

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    “Across Canada, there has been an extraordinary scaling-up in police powers and presence in response to the virus’ spread. States of emergency have been declared in every province and territory, shutting down non-essential businesses, mandating self-isolation for recent travellers, and imposing physical distancing rules. These and other virus containment rules are being enforced via provincial public health law, emergency legislation, the criminal code, and municipal by-laws, resulting in hefty fines, and a risk of potential jail time for re-offences. In certain locations, check-points have been set up, while in other areas, people are being required to identify themselves when questioned by police.

    In some jurisdictions, police and municipal by-law officers have been given the power to enforce public health and emergency orders. Furthermore, a myriad of “snitch lines” have been launched across Canada in an effort to bolster police intelligence via crowdsourcing. These snitch lines are encouraging people to report on those in their community breaking rules under the new pandemic normal.”

    Source: Policing the Pandemic

  • Rights in the time of COVID-19: Lessons from HIV for an effective, community-led response

    Rights in the time of COVID-19: Lessons from HIV for an effective, community-led response

    covid 19 lessons from hiv covid 19 lessons from hiv

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    “In times of fear and panic, some countries may resort to politically-driven, restrictive, stigmatizing and punitive measures. These may include compulsory blanket travel restrictions, quarantining large groups of people, combining people who have and people who do not have the virus, publishing the names and details of people who have the virus, using stigmatizing language such as “super-spreaders” or criminalizing people who may have breached restrictions or transmitted the virus to others.”

    “From the HIV epidemic we have learned that restrictive, stigmatizing and punitive measures can lead to significant human rights abuses, with disproportionate effects on already vulnerable communities. They can often undermine epidemic responses, sending people with symptoms underground and failing to address the underlying barriers that people face in attempting to protect their own health and that of their community. Indeed, for COVID-19, the World Health Organization does not advise implementing compulsory large-scale restrictive measures such as disproportionate or overly restrictive bans on travel or free movement.”

    Source: UNAIDS