A New Petition Is Demanding That Quebec Be More Transparent About COVID-19

As the pandemic rages on, experts say the Legault government is still not sharing important data that could help contain the crisis. Though its daily reports provide a general summary of recent COVID-19 activity in Quebec, the province isn't sharing some important details, according to a group of researchers, students, and activists called COVID-19 Resources Canada.

They say that the government's reports are missing more in-depth data on cases, the success (or failure) of contact tracing and models that estimate how many people are likely to get sick.

The group has launched a petition calling on the Legault government to release more information on COVID-19. It surpassed 950 signatures Thursday morning as its organizers say greater transparency is needed to earn public trust.

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Protecting and saving lives depends on transparency.

COVID-19 Resources Canada

The petition posted on Change.org states that “confusing and inconsistent public safety messages, and missing or incomplete data undermines our collective efforts to contain and reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

It's asking the government to release a daily breakdown of tests by region and age group, a better breakdown of cases in the province, the number and location of infected health care workers, and the projected dates when intensive care units could hit capacity.

It’s also calling for more decision-making transparency to let Quebecers know which experts the government is listening to and why, and greater community engagement with non-government organizations.

“Protecting and saving lives depends on transparency; unless Quebec's pandemic response is transparent, clear, accurate, and consistent, countless more Quebecers will fall ill, and more lives will be needlessly lost,” it reads.