Haha this is actually pretty interesting, and I don’t think it’s without risk for Elections Canada.
They point to the Charter and say specific methods of voting are not guaranteed:
“While section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right to vote, it does not guarantee access to any particular method of voting. Electors who choose not to wear a mask where masks are required have the option to vote by special ballot. Elections Canada must balance the values underlying the individual right to vote with its mandate to provide safe and accessible voting services to electors.“
-Elections Canada
I suspect if find themselves in court their rational may end on the shit end of a verdict, which could leave an opening to argue political bias:
“Section 3 must be interpreted having regard to the philosophical principles that have guided the historic development of the right to vote in our constitutional tradition (Saskatchewan Reference, supra). It must also be interpreted in a way that advances the values and principles that embody a free and democratic society, which include respect for a diversity of opinions and beliefs (Figueroa, supra, at paragraph 27; Saskatchewan Reference, supra, at 188-189).“
-Charter
As an aside Ham, forgive me, but I don’t think you have a representative window into the minds of where a majority of people who currently indicate support for PPC’s minds are. No doubt this phenomenon will have some level of influence, I suspect it will be minimal.
TLDR: if elections Canada find itself in court over this, they will probably be forced to show current evidence of the effectiveness of masks. I’ll note in cases where various governments have been required to produce similar data they’ve failed to do so, and either dropped cases or lost.
Haha this is actually pretty interesting, and I don’t think it’s without risk for Elections Canada.
They point to the Charter and say specific methods of voting are not guaranteed:
“While section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right to vote, it does not guarantee access to any particular method of voting. Electors who choose not to wear a mask where masks are required have the option to vote by special ballot. Elections Canada must balance the values underlying the individual right to vote with its mandate to provide safe and accessible voting services to electors.“ -Elections Canada
I suspect if find themselves in court their rational may end on the shit end of a verdict, which could leave an opening to argue political bias:
“Section 3 must be interpreted having regard to the philosophical principles that have guided the historic development of the right to vote in our constitutional tradition (Saskatchewan Reference, supra). It must also be interpreted in a way that advances the values and principles that embody a free and democratic society, which include respect for a diversity of opinions and beliefs (Figueroa, supra, at paragraph 27; Saskatchewan Reference, supra, at 188-189).“ -Charter
As an aside Ham, forgive me, but I don’t think you have a representative window into the minds of where a majority of people who currently indicate support for PPC’s minds are. No doubt this phenomenon will have some level of influence, I suspect it will be minimal.
TLDR: if elections Canada find itself in court over this, they will probably be forced to show current evidence of the effectiveness of masks. I’ll note in cases where various governments have been required to produce similar data they’ve failed to do so, and either dropped cases or lost.