A federal judge has ruled Elections Canada lawfully enforced its mask mandate in the 2021 campaign, as records show the agency was preoccupied with COVID-19 precautions in the last election.Justice Michael Manson’s ruling came in the case of a West Vancouver man denied work as a deputy returning officer over his refusal to wear a mask, per Blacklock’s Reporter. “There was no procedural unfairness,” wrote Manson. Elections Canada at the time stated “all poll workers” must be masked. Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault went further in threatening to eject any maskless voters from polling stations if they defied local health orders. “I think electors have a responsibility,” he told reporters at the time.“You will not deny me my ballot if I choose not to be masked and I’m six feet away from everyone else, correct?” asked a reporter. “Well, you have to be careful here,” replied Perreault.“If you have a medical exemption and you have not been able to vote by mail in advance and you have a medical reason not to wear a mask, then you will not be denied a right to vote. But if it’s just a matter of personal choice and the mask is mandatory in the jurisdiction in which you’re voting, then we will apply those rules.”No act of Parliament permitted disqualification of maskless voters. The Canada Elections Act states a returning officer may only eject a voter from a polling station if “the officer believes on reasonable grounds that the person has committed in the office or place an offence under this Act, any other Act of Parliament or any regulation made under any other Act of Parliament that threatens the maintenance of order.”Subsequent research disproved Elections Canada claims that enforcement of pandemic mandates was a problem at polls. “Polling staff were asked how often they had to ask electors to put on their masks while they were working,” said a 2022 Survey Of Election Offices For The 44th Federal General Election. “Very few, 3%, said they had to often or very often ask electors to put on their masks.”Asked, “Did you experience harassment while working in the election?”, 8% said yes. “Among those who experienced harassment while working in the federal election seven in 10 said they experienced verbal abuse, humiliation or threats,” wrote researchers. “Almost two in five, 39%, said they experienced harassment related to COVID-19 safety measures.”The September 20, 2021 vote was the first federal pandemic election in Canadian history. Elections Canada said of some 20,000 polling stations a total 102 called police over public disturbances.
