Rights analysis |
A rights-aware review should ask whether Bill 208 is proportionate
The committee does not need to choose between caring about youth and caring about adult liberty. It needs to ask whether the proposed rule is the least blunt workable tool.
The proportionality lens
A rights-aware review asks four questions: what harm is being addressed, what evidence supports the tool, what less restrictive alternatives exist, and how the province will know if the rule worked.
Where Bill 208 should be tested
- Definition of affected products and future regulation-making power.
- Effect on lawful adults who are not the target population.
- Availability of enforcement models that focus on youth access points.
- Public reporting after implementation.
Why process matters
A committee record built with competing evidence is more legitimate than one built from a single preferred answer.