New Brunswick Minister of Health Dorothy Shephard of the ruling Progressive Conservative Party made this announcement as she talked to the public about the province's "Winter Action Plan" for COVID-19.
According to the new COVID-19 regulations, New Brunswick will be placed in "Level One," or the lowest level of restrictions. Some restrictions are still in place, such as the limits on indoor and outdoor gatherings and the "advice" that unvaccinated individuals avoid joining indoor social events.
But the most glaring restriction that remains in place is the one that allows malls, grocery stores and salons to require proof of vaccination before allowing entry into their establishments.
Malls, groceries and salons are also required to enforce strict social distancing protocols. Mask mandates will be put in place for establishments where social distancing is impossible to maintain.
These policies will remain in effect until spring 2022.
Shephard said the rise in COVID-19 cases in New Brunswick – where nearly 78 percent of people are fully vaccinated – is "very concerning. She claimed that a disproportionate number of the cases are among the province's unvaccinated population. (Related: Areas of Canada with high covid "vaccine" uptake see 28X increase in stillbirths.)
She further claimed that some of the restrictions are still necessary because people spend more time inside during the winter months, which can increase the opportunity for COVID-19 to spread.
"The measures are not difficult," said Shephard. "They are small actions that each person can take, but when combined, can make a big difference. The power to keep us in Level One is in our hands."
Brian Young, host of "High Impact Flix," pointed out that giving malls, grocery stores and salons the option to exclude the unvaccinated from being their patrons can act as a stepping stone to requiring these establishments to actively discriminate against them by denying them service.
"[The plans] are on the table, but if people allow this, if people allow their government officials to do this, that's the foot-in-the-door they need to go 'Oh, you know what? Now we're going to switch that from having the option to you must require proof of [vaccination] before you can shop in a grocery store,'" commented Young.
He added that when Shephard claimed that the "power to keep us in Level One is in our hands," she was threatening the residents of New Brunswick.
"That's a threat," he said. "If you don't want to escalate this thing, then you better do what you're told, then you better comply, you better be a good little Johnny order follower."
A legal organization in Canada believes New Brunswick's measures allowing malls, groceries and salons to decide whether to give equal rights to unvaccinated patrons potentially violates fundamental human rights.
The Justice Center for Constitutional Freedom (JCCF), which specializes in defending the constitutional freedoms of Canadians, recently sent a warning letter to New Brunswick Minister of Justice and Public Safety Hugh Flemming. They claim the newly-enacted COVID-19 restrictions discriminated against unvaccinated people.
The JCCF believes giving businesses the option to deny service to unvaccinated individuals has raised "growing and significant concern" across Canada because it allows grocery stores and other businesses to discriminate against the unvaccinated.
"An invitation to the private sector to consider such egregious discriminatory practices triggers historic Charter violations," said Andre Memauri, a staff lawyer for the JCCF, in a news release.
"Potentially depriving citizens of food constitutes an act of cruelty," he continued. "It is discriminatory, unconstitutional and likely an offense under international law. No one should be barred from the ability to purchase food to feed their family."
The JCCF pointed out that the right to food is a fundamental human right that is enshrined in various international documents that the government of Canada is a signatory to, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
JCCF lawyers also pointed out that New Brunswick's COVID-19 restrictions discriminate against religious individuals. The restrictions require owners and occupiers of social gatherings "to ensure at every indoor faith gathering that every person in the venue is fully vaccinated against COVID-19."
They contrasted this strict requirement with the fact that unvaccinated individuals are able to enter non-faith establishments, such as pubs and bars, nightclubs, bowling alleys, casinos and other sport and entertainment venues so long as they test negative for COVID-19.
"This is an unconscionable violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and it has no scientific or legal justification," said Memauri. "Vaccine-free New Brunswickers who are grieving the loss of a family member cannot attend a funeral but are permitted into a pool hall with a negative test. Canada is better than this."
Watch the full "High Impact Flix" video with host Brian Young on Brighteon.com to see him react to the news that New Brunswick will effectively discriminate against its unvaccinated population.
Learn more about the plans governments are putting in place to segregate the unvaccinated from the rest of society at Pandemic.news.
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