Below, please find the statement published on April 27 by the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, followed by comments from the Police On Guard For Thee Organization:

Comment by Police On Guard For Thee:

Here’s another example of law enforcement — who have taken an oath to uphold our Charter of Rights & Freedoms — issue a public statement that blatantly disregards their oath and our Charter.

This statement selectively cites the current regulation but does not mention our guaranteed rights as Canadian citizens.

It reads: “Under The Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act [EMPCA], Anyone found attending an organized gathering could face a fine of up to $1,000 and anyone found organizing a gathering could face a minimum fine of $10,000.”

This is true, however, nowhere in this statement does it mention that the EMPCA includes the following limitation (found in section 7.0.2 of the EMPCA):

Public Health orders are subject to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

And it is under the Charter that we are guaranteed the right to gather to peacefully protest.

Again, this statement blatantly disregards our Charter. And so, as we’ve said before, and we will continue to say:

To our fellow Canadians — DO NOT allow statements like these stop you from exercising your fundamental rights and freedoms.

To all law enforcement and elected officials — this kind of rhetoric is unconstitutional and we fear it may unnecessarily escalate police response to future peaceful protests.

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms as well as Rebel News https://www.rebelnews.com/fight_the_fines_canada are assisting people with legal matters. Visit their websites for more information.

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