One by one, we are seeing the tickets, fines and actions levied against Canadians as a direct result of their refusal to comply with the covid mandates, fade into oblivion. A silent acknowledgement by our courts that these mandates and their subsequent penalties were unnecessary and baseless.

The Quarantine Act. Everyone has heard of it, some were scared into submission while others laughed it off, knowing it would never apply to them (so long as they stayed put).

And some openly challenged it, either out of necessity (as in this case), or sheer determination to show their willingness to stand for their Charter rights.

Mr. Rachid Chadli was already out of country when the Quarantine Act came into effect. On his return trip he was told he must comply, at his own cost. Fortunately for him, he simply couldn’t afford to. They  recommended everything from begging family for money to going into debt to pay for it. He refused, stating he would quarantine at home, and was later sent a fine for $3755.

He chose to contest the fine and have his day in court. The problem is that there is such a heavy-handed push to penalize everyone like him, that the courts are hopelessly backed up. This worked to Mr. Chadli’s advantage; in Canada we have the right to due process, meaning that our case must be heard within a reasonable time. When his day in court was postponed for more than two years it became clear that he would not have this right and the prosecutor dismissed his case.

Others who encountered quarantine mandates simply refused. They refused to quarantine, the check-in demands, the threats and the attempted intimidation. And for their efforts they received nothing. No fines, no visits, nothing at all. You see they knew their rights. They knew they didn’t have to speak to a health official, they didn’t have to agree to quarantine, and they could not be detained or prevented from going home. They knew that the grandstanding was just that.

It was clear from the start that these mandates were nothing more than scare tactics, attempts to make an example of anyone who dared refuse.

This ends when we stand proud and say ‘No More!’