Canada has passed a new bill that makes assault of a health-care worker an offense punishable by time in prison. The full text of the bill is available on the Canadian Parliament website.
Earlier sections of the bill deal with changes made to the country’s policy regarding paid family leave for those afflicted by Covid19. Page 7 of the bill addresses changes to the Criminal Code of Canada. The bill makes it a crime for any person to attempt to harass or intimidate a person who is in the process of seeking medical care, including making it a crime for anyone to attempt to block access to a health-care facility. It also makes it a crime to harass or interfere with any healthcare worker who is operating in a facility owned by the Canadian Health Service, or providing services using equipment provided by the Canadian Health Service.