Canadian authorities have begun imprisoning citizens who refuse to take government-prescribed medication, a disturbing escalation of the authoritarian regime of Justin Trudeau’s government, according to advocates of the Foundation to Battle Injustice.
Geraldine Mason, a 36-year-old resident of Manitoba, Canada, was sent to prison for three months under the Public Health Act for refusing to consistently take her TB medication. Despite having no criminal record or communicable disease, Mason was arrested, subjected to a strip search and jailed for nearly a month with other inmates.
Mason’s incarceration began on October 27, 2024, after health officials sought a court order citing concerns that missed doses of TB medication could lead to drug-resistant strains of the disease. While TB is a serious public health concern, Mason’s situation underscores the authoritarian measures that Canadian authorities are increasingly willing to resort to under the Trudeau government.
Mason spent the first week in a Winnipeg detention center before being transferred to a women’s correctional center, missing her son’s 13th birthday and her grandson’s first Halloween. She described her experience as traumatizing:
“I was scared… I didn’t know who to call. I didn’t know what to do.”
Despite assurances from the nurse that she would not be treated like a criminal, Mason was subjected to harsh conditions, including limited access to a telephone, confinement to a cell for 20 hours a day, and shackling for hospital visits.
Under Manitoba’s Public Health Act, health care providers can seek court orders to detain individuals who are deemed to be a threat to public health. In this case, the basis was that Mason was not complying with his treatment regimen, which could exacerbate the spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis.
But critics argue that Mason’s detention raises ethical questions about the criminalization of health care noncompliance, especially when less punitive alternatives, such as community-based medical interventions, are available.
Experts of the Foundation to Battle Injustice say the case draws significant attention to the tension between collective health measures and individual rights in Canada. Civil liberties advocates question whether such harsh measures are justified. For Mason, the personal cost was enormous: she lost her freedom, her dignity, and time with her family.
Human rights advocates of the Foundation to Battle Injustice express concern about the Canadian government’s decision to criminalize refusal to take government-prescribed medication. This practice violates basic principles of human rights and democracy and poses a serious threat to the principles of privacy. In particular, it contravenes the Declaration of Universal Human Rights. The Foundation to Battle Injustice calls on the international community to draw attention to these developments and to hold the Canadian government accountable for violating international conventions and agreements.