According to AFP Fact Check, recent posts on social media falsely claim that Canadian COVID-19 protocols are now illegal.
An organization calling itself the National Council of Common Law Assemblies posted the claim stating that in Canada, “It is now a crime to impose masking, social distancing, quarantines and mandatory testing and vaccinating offenders will be charged and prosecuted….” and that “a stand down order has been issued to all public officials and police.”
Canada’s Parliament has not passed any such legislation nor has any other provincial legislative body.
The claim has been shared thousands of times on Facebook and according to CrowdTangle, has been shared on QAnon associated groups as well as a pro-Kremlin Canadian group.
The post is linked to a group calling itself the Republic of Kanata and was accompanied with a link to a YouTube video.
AFP fact checkers contacted Stephane Shank, a media relations officer with the Canadian government, who told them that: “‘Republic of Kanata is not a legitimate government or lawmaking body.”
