National Citizen’s Inquiry Into Canada’s Pandemic Response Calls for ‘Criminal Penalties’

A man walks past a COVID-19 restrictions sign during the pandemic, in Mississauga, Ont., on Dec. 22, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette)

A citizen-led inquiry has released its final report outlining its findings on how all levels of government in Canada handled the COVID-19 pandemic, with recommendations for institutions to face “criminal and civil penalties for their actions.”

“Canada’s federal, provincial, and municipal government responses to COVID-19 are unprecedented,” said Ken Drysdale, chairman of the commissioners for the National Citizen’s Inquiry (NCI), during a Nov. 28 press conference.

“The policy, legal and health interventions into the lives of Canadians, our families, businesses, communities—were and to a great extent remain—significant.”

NCI describes itself as a “citizen-led and citizen-funded initiative” independent from government, with a mission to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic measures put in place by all levels of government impacted Canadians in the four categories of health, fundamental rights and freedoms, social well-being, and economic prosperity.

Over the course of several months, the NCI held hearings in cities across Canada to hear from hundreds of  Canadians impacted by COVID-19 public health restrictions, as well as dozens of lawyers, health-care workers, journalists, and researchers who provided their expert opinions. While the NCI also summoned federal cabinet members and policymakers to testify, none accepted the invitations to appear.

“Unfortunately, we only heard one side of the story, because not one single government representative came to testify before us. Not one decision maker came to justify what was done,” said NCI Commissioner Heather DiGregorio. “Without getting the other side of the story, the justification from our leaders and decision-makers, what were we to conclude? Readers of our report need to keep this in mind.”

Recommendations

The report contains more than 70 pages of recommendations that touch on Canada’s justice system, democratic institutions, emergency planning, media outlets, and health-care system.

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Restoring trust in Canadian institutions is also addressed in the report, saying simmering distrust among Canadians poses a threat to the “very existence of Canada as a free and democratic nation.”

Information related to institutions’ actions during the pandemic should be made publicly available, independent audits should be conducted, and institutions should publicly admit their mistakes and “if appropriate, must face criminal and civil penalties for their actions,” the report says.

The authors of the report also touched on what they call “propaganda and terror” that was used by governments and media outlets against Canadians during the pandemic, calling for accountability, the safeguarding of human rights, and the fostering of democratic institutions.

The report recommends establishing independent oversight bodies to conduct investigations into human rights abuse allegations “and prosecuting those responsible for violations.” The report made a point of saying that government officials and security forces must be held “accountable for their actions.”

To bolster the country’s medical system, the report calls for more investments in health-care infrastructure, the maintenance of a stockpile of medical supplies, regularly updated pandemic preparedness plans, and enhanced telehealth services.

The report also contains several recommendations dealing with vaccine mandates, such as federal legislation prohibiting employers from imposing mandates on employees and pushing for Canada to “reinforce” the importance of informed consent as it relates to medical treatments like vaccines.

Measures to address the impact of such mandates on Canadians should be implemented, the report says. It suggests rehiring and compensating all employees terminated for refusing vaccines, strengthening the laws around private health information, and creating a mandatory course for high schools and the public service on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

After hearing from both medical experts and Canadians who were injured by COVID-19 vaccines, the NCI recommends that all COVID-19 vaccines be suspended until issues around genotoxicity are resolved. It is also recommended that Canada’s vaccine injury reporting system be streamlined and upgraded.