Page - 223 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

CHAPTER B-7 Liability of the Crown in Times of Pandemic Marie-France Fortin* Abstract While both federal and provincial governments are accountable before the courts for violations of individuals’ rights and freedoms constitu- tionally protected in the Canadian  Charter  of  Rights  and  Freedoms, their civil liability in tort for damages is a different matter. This chapter addresses the issue of the suitability of these actions in light of the immunity from suit that the federal and provincial governments (“the Crown”) enjoy. In the first section of this chapter, the state of the law and recent developments in relation to the Crown’s liability in Canada are discussed. The meaning and consequences of the Supreme Court of Canada’s most recent decisions in relation to the Crown’s liability in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic—including for the acts of its departments, servants, agents, corporations, and independent con- tractors—are discussed in the second section. Résumé Responsabilité de la Couronne en période de pandémie Si les gouvernements fédéral et provinciaux doivent répondre devant les tribunaux de toute violation des droits et libertés des individus protégés par la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés, leur responsabilité * Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa.