Page - 309 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

309The Right of Citizens Abroad to Return During a Pandemic care and medications. That access was not a given for anyone sud- denly forced to remain in another country, especially if this other country was facing or soon would face a crisis in its health sector. How can a measure that directly affects the most vulnerable, and that risks excluding from boarding some citizens who are not COVID-19 positive while allowing others who are, be proportionate? In writing this, we do not wish to diminish the effort that the Government of Canada has deployed to bring back citizens, perma- nent residents, and others stranded abroad. It is estimated that, as of April 23, 2020, the government had coordinated the repatriation of approximately 20,000 persons on 160 flights from 76 countries.39 One assumes that a great percentage of those were Canadian citizens. However, some were also refused boarding. How many were left behind on the basis that they had symptoms suggestive of COVID- 19 is unknown at this point. Likewise, we do not know how many of those proved later to be indeed COVID-19 positive, nor do we know how many passengers were allowed to board and, within 14 days of arrival, tested positive for COVID-19. Given its obligations both in international and domestic law, Canada must ensure at all times that it does not create disproportion- ate hurdles on the ability of its citizens to exercise their right to return home. As the current Prime Minister has repeated on numerous occa- sions in the past: “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian.”40 39. Brian Hermon & Scott McTaggart, “The Canadian Consular Service and Response to COVID-19” (24 April 2020), online (blog): Library  of  Parliament,  Hillnotes <hillnotes.ca/2020/04/24/the-canadian-consular-service-and-response- to-covid-19/>. 40. Faiha Naqvi-Mohamed, “‘A Canadian Is a Canadian Is a Canadian”, Huffington  Post (last modified 20 October 2016), online: <www.huffingtonpost.ca/fariha- naqvimohamed/a-canadian-is-a-canadian-is-a-canadian_b_8337718.html>.