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OTTAWA – As fear and anxiety rises among a population ordered to stay home as much as possible to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, is Canada becoming a nation of snitches turning on each other to enforce social distancing?

Absolutely, experts say.

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“People are being told that you have to snitch. It has become the civic duty of a good citizen. If you see a social gathering, if you see people having groups of guests over, then be a good citizen and report it,” said criminologist and former MP Maria Mourani.

“The current COVID-19 threat makes us feel powerless and out of control. So by denouncing, it gives people the impression that they have more control on their situation. It’s a way of controlling our fear,” added psychologist Geneviève Beaulieu-Pelletier.

“We’re possibly headed towards becoming a country of snitches,” she said.

Be a good citizen and report it

Little national data exists throughout the country detailing how much snitching is happening during these times of enforced isolation. But it has become so prevalent in some cities that local administrations have set up dedicated resources just to take reports from concerned citizens.