Our Civil Liberties Matter During Crises
- Details
- Published on Friday, 24 April 2020 12:00
- Written by editor
Dear friends and supporters,
As a staff lawyer at the BCCLA, I’m finding that this is such a crucial time to be working at a civil liberties organization.
We know that the COVID-19 pandemic is bringing about feelings of anxiety in our communities. Fear and uncertainty are legitimate responses to a novel virus gone viral with over 190,000 deaths worldwide.
In uncertain times, the BCCLA will stand up for civil liberties and human rights for all. Government overreach won’t go unchecked.
In our last email, we told you about how we are fighting to makes sure that no one is left behind in the response to this pandemic. Since then, we have also advocated for vigilance against the normalization of invasive surveillance, the erosion of our privacy rights, and the limiting of freedom of expression.
Here are some areas of our rights and civil liberties that we are concerned about:
Changes to Privacy Laws
British Columbia has some of... the strongest privacy laws in the nation, including the requirement for public bodies to store personal information within Canada. In response to COVID-19, the government recently made some temporary exceptions to this rule, including one about personal health information. Read my blog post to learn more about the changes to BC’s privacy laws and how it might affect you.
Free Expression for Healthcare Workers
Across Canada, healthcare workers are sounding the alarm about conditions in their workplaces, with many of them taking to social media to post videos and photos of what they’re seeing. Their posts are being removed, and they are facing backlash from their employers or regulators. Read more about how we have stood up for healthcare workers’ free expression rights in the past, and what’s at stake if they are not protected now.
Digital privacy rights
The idea of using smartphone tracking or other mass a data collection has been floated to ensure people comply with social distancing rules. We’re joining the call for measured responses that keep our privacy rights and human rights in mind. Read our 7 asks of government when considering enhanced digital surveillance or data collection here.
Increased surveillance and policing
Our Executive Director, Harsha Walia, wrote an op-ed in the Vancouver Sun on the dangers of over-policing the pandemic. She notes that increased criminalization and surveillance will likely have long-lasting impacts on all our civil liberties that will be hard to roll back. She also points out that while the virus transmits across borders and social differences, the impacts of punitive state measures to contain the virus will not be felt equally. We must be vigilant against normalizing an authoritarian creep.
As a member of our community, you have always taken action to protect everyone’s civil liberties. Now is no different. You show us that social distancing doesn’t have to break our social solidarity.
To support social solidarity, will you share this information with your community? Click here to share on Facebook and here to tweet about this.
Thank you for continuing to stand for civil liberties and human rights for all. Together we can look out for each other and keep each other safe.
Meghan McDermott (she/her)
Senior Staff Counsel - Policy
