Curfew critics trying to sow division, premier says

Critics of the provincewide curfew who argue that homeless people should be exempted from the health order are trying to divide Quebecers, Premier Francois Legault said Thursday.

The premier responded to recent calls from all three opposition parties, the mayor of Montreal and the federal Indigenous services minister, who said the homeless shouldn't be included in the 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. Their calls followed the death of a homeless man whose body was found in a portable toilet Sunday morning.

Legault told reporters he was saddened by the death of Raphaël André. But, he added, Montreal police know the city's homeless population “very well” and won't give fines to that community “for fun.”

“I've asked the opposition and many people to give me one example of a police officer who took a bad decision and they cannot answer that, so it's working well,” he said, regarding the hundreds of instances when police have fined people for violating curfew.

Opposition Leader Dominique Anglade said on Twitter Thursday that the premier's assertion is false. She said she had told Legault about a homeless man who had reportedly received a ticket while on his way to an overnight shelter.

“What the premier asserted at the press conference today is simply not true,” Anglade said.

Legault said those who had criticized his government are trying to sow division in society.

“I find it very unfortunate to see certain people try to divide us, trying to say that there are good guys and bad guys, that there are some who care for the homeless and some who don't care,” he said. “We all want to help the homeless, it's complex and it's not the time to divide us, it's the time to work together.”

The premier said that an investigation into the man's death is ongoing and that it's not fair to say people are dying because of the curfew.