The ''Quarantine Act, 2005'' () is an act of the

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada () is the Canadian federalism, federal legislature of Canada. The Monarchy of Canada, Crown, along with two chambers: the Senate of Canada, Senate and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, form the Bicameral ...

, which regulates the use of

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have bee ...

to prevent the introduction and spread of

communicable diseases infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable disea ...

. Introduced in the aftermath of the

2002–04 SARS outbreak The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

, the act grants the ability to designate quarantine facilities, require health screenings upon arrival or exit of the country, and issue emergency orders that impose conditions or prohibitions on the entry of individuals or imports in order to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. It also imposes fines on those who disobey quarantine officers or quarantine orders. The act was invoked in response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

History

Amid the

COVID-19 pandemic in Canada The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is part of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). It is caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Most cases over the course o ...

, the act was invoked for two purposes. It was used in order to mandate a quarantine of Canadian travellers who had been repatriated from the pandemic's origin,

Wuhan Wuhan; is the capital of Hubei, China. With a population of over eleven million, it is the most populous city in Hubei and the List of cities in China by population, eighth-most-populous city in China. It is also one of the nine National cent ...

, China. It was also used on March 25, when Minister of Health

Patty Hajdu Patricia A. Hajdu (; born November 3, 1966) is a Canadians, Canadian politician who has served as the Minister of Jobs and Families, Minister of jobs and families since May 13, 2025. Prior to that she served as Minister of Indigenous Services ...

invoked the act effective at midnight that night, to legally require all international travellers (excluding essential workers) returning to Canada to self-isolate for 14 days, prohibiting those who are symptomatic from using

public transit Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...

to reach a place of self-isolation, and prohibiting self-isolation in settings where they may come in contact with people with pre-existing conditions and the elderly. On April 10, 2020, the

RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

disclosed it had been asked to enforce the act. Penalties for violations can include a fine of up to $750,000 and imprisonment for six months. By May 20, police officers had made 2,198 "home visits to make sure Canadians

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complying with the self-isolation rule when they cross dback into the country". One returning traveller at

Pearson International Airport Toronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surrounding region known as the Golden Horseshoe. Pearson is the ...

was depicted with a full PPE isolation suit.

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...

"hint dat new measures to track travellers who cross into Canada once border restrictions start to ease." The CBSA alerts the

PHAC The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC; ) is an Government agency, agency of the Government of Canada that is responsible for public health, emergency preparedness and response, and infectious disease, infectious and chronic disease control and ...

"if it suspects a returning traveller won't comply." The PHAC then notifies the national operations centre of the RCMP, who then coordinates with local police forces. Only one person in Richmond, British Columbia, was fined $1,000. The Trudeau government "expanded the

Order-in-Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...

by saying that anyone returning home from abroad without a credible self-isolation plan would be forced to stay at a designated quarantine facility, such as a hotel." Trudeau was puzzled by "those questions on non-essential travel". Chief Public Health Officer Teresa Tam "called the mandatory 14-day quarantine for arrivals a 'cornerstone' of federal pandemic policy." Trudeau said, "Once we get to a point where non-essential travel picks up again in the coming months, I guess, we need to have strong measures in place and we're looking at those closely."

References

{{reflist 2005 in Canadian law 38th Canadian Parliament Canadian federal legislation Legal history of Canada Quarantine

History

See also

References