How foolish it would be to lose a dollar on a horse race, then bet another dollar on the instant-replay. Yet, unless Canadians draw the right lessons from their lockdown experiences, that is what they risk. As Canada enters the 21st month of dealing with government restrictions on their Charter freedoms, it is of the utmost importance that we draw the right conclusions from the restrictions on our Charter freedoms to move, travel, associate, assemble and worship. 

Other Justice Centre papers have addressed Charter violations and why Covid need not be feared nearly as much as media and politicians suggest. This paper is focused on lockdown harms: Are they worth their high cost? 

It is possible that “lockdown will go down as one of the greatest peacetime policy failures in Canada’s history,” writes Douglas Allen, an economics professor at BC’s Simon Fraser University.

In a paper published in April 2021, Allen reviewed more than 80 Covid cost/benefit studies published in the previous 12 months. He concluded that many relied upon false assumptions that tended to over-estimate the benefits of lockdown and underestimate its costs.

Read the Justice Centre Report: Are Lockdowns Worth Their Cost