Conservative leadership candidate Leslyn Lewis said the continued use of Canada's ArriveCAN app, and the fines being levied against Canadians who refuse to use it, amount to "governmental bullying and harassment.She added it's a "failed and potentially illegal experiment.""We are currently living in a situation where Canadians are not free to enter their own country without completing a form that currently has no legal basis to exist," Lewis said."While the term "medical tyranny" is mocked by some, it's a fair description of a government that refuses to follow its own law or even the mobility rights enshrined in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms."The MP for Haldimand-Norfolk, ON said the use of the ArriveCAN app now seems "completely unjustified" as the emergency orders for COVID-19 have been lifted.She said the federal government insists on maintaining a "quasi-emergency status" to justify the continued use of the "failed and potentially illegal experiment."Lewis also said while the ArriveCAN app collects personal information of Canadians in accordance with the Privacy Act, its use should be relegated solely to Emergency Orders and measures taken under the Quarantine Act."If emergency powers are not invoked, I believe there is absolutely no legal grounds upon which a charge can be upheld for non-compliance with the app," she said.Several Canadians have been fined for not downloading the ArriveCAN app when returning to the country. But Lewis, a lawyer, argued there are only two circumstances where a Canadian must disclose their medical status upon entry to a country: if there's an emergency order in place requiring it, or if there are grounds where a health assessment can only be requested based on reasonable grounds “that the traveller has or might have a communicable disease."Lewis said the most "disturbing" aspect of the app is information can be shared with “international health organizations as well as their institutions." According to Lewis, Canadians have not been properly informed about how ArriveCan relates to the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Known Traveller Digital ID Program (KTDI)."Knowing our government has already taken part in the WEF’s KTDI, many Canadians are concerned about where this program is headed and what information Justin Trudeau is already sharing with groups like the WEF and other international organizations" Lewis said.Lewis said Canadians have a constitutional right to enter their own country by showing a valid passport to border agents, and any interference with that right must be substantiated."Simply saying 'it helps', is not proof," she said."The app’s privacy statement makes it clear its mandatory nature can only be enforced during an emergency. So I repeat, we currently are under no emergency measures. Therefore the mandatory requirement for the app is an infringement on our freedoms and constitutional rights."
Conservative leadership candidate Leslyn Lewis said the continued use of Canada's ArriveCAN app, and the fines being levied against Canadians who refuse to use it, amount to "governmental bullying and harassment.She added it's a "failed and potentially illegal experiment.""We are currently living in a situation where Canadians are not free to enter their own country without completing a form that currently has no legal basis to exist," Lewis said."While the term "medical tyranny" is mocked by some, it's a fair description of a government that refuses to follow its own law or even the mobility rights enshrined in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms."The MP for Haldimand-Norfolk, ON said the use of the ArriveCAN app now seems "completely unjustified" as the emergency orders for COVID-19 have been lifted.She said the federal government insists on maintaining a "quasi-emergency status" to justify the continued use of the "failed and potentially illegal experiment."Lewis also said while the ArriveCAN app collects personal information of Canadians in accordance with the Privacy Act, its use should be relegated solely to Emergency Orders and measures taken under the Quarantine Act."If emergency powers are not invoked, I believe there is absolutely no legal grounds upon which a charge can be upheld for non-compliance with the app," she said.Several Canadians have been fined for not downloading the ArriveCAN app when returning to the country. But Lewis, a lawyer, argued there are only two circumstances where a Canadian must disclose their medical status upon entry to a country: if there's an emergency order in place requiring it, or if there are grounds where a health assessment can only be requested based on reasonable grounds “that the traveller has or might have a communicable disease."Lewis said the most "disturbing" aspect of the app is information can be shared with “international health organizations as well as their institutions." According to Lewis, Canadians have not been properly informed about how ArriveCan relates to the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Known Traveller Digital ID Program (KTDI)."Knowing our government has already taken part in the WEF’s KTDI, many Canadians are concerned about where this program is headed and what information Justin Trudeau is already sharing with groups like the WEF and other international organizations" Lewis said.Lewis said Canadians have a constitutional right to enter their own country by showing a valid passport to border agents, and any interference with that right must be substantiated."Simply saying 'it helps', is not proof," she said."The app’s privacy statement makes it clear its mandatory nature can only be enforced during an emergency. So I repeat, we currently are under no emergency measures. Therefore the mandatory requirement for the app is an infringement on our freedoms and constitutional rights."
