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COVID-19

Court hearing for Canadian denied EI benefits because of vax status

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4 minute read

From the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms

The Justice Centre announces that Thursday, November 2, 2023, the Federal Court of Appeal will hear the constitutional challenge of Robin Francis, who lost his job and was then denied Employment Insurance benefits after refusing to take the Covid vaccine based on his religious beliefs. 

The hearing will take place in-person at the Federal Court of Appeal in Toronto, Courtroom 7C, located at 180 Queen Street West, Suite 200. The hearing can also be attended via Zoom by registering here.

Dr. Francis, a father of four and a PhD engineer, had been employed at a health centre in Ontario. Throughout 2020 and 2021, Dr. Francis worked remotely. His employer had not expressed dissatisfaction with his performance, and he was considered a diligent and hardworking employee with an exceptional attendance record. Nevertheless, on September 3, 2021, Dr. Francis was informed that his employer would require all employees to show proof of being vaccinated for Covid or to provide documentation for a medical or human rights exemption. 

Dr. Francis applied for a religious exemption, but, on October 5, 2021, his employer summarily denied his request for an exemption. On October 22, 2021, Dr. Francis was fired for not taking the Covid vaccine, despite the fact that Dr. Francis’ decision was based on his religious convictions. 

When Dr. Francis applied for EI benefits, the Employment Insurance Commission denied his request, stating in a letter on January 11, 2022, that he had lost his employment as a result of his “misconduct.”  Dr. Francis sought reconsideration, but, on March 3, 2022, the Commission confirmed its decision. 

Dr. Francis appeal to the Social Security Tribunal–General Division, which dismissed his appeal on July 26, 2022. He then appealed to the Appeal Division, which issued a decision on February 17, 2023, rejecting his appeal. 

On March 22, 2023, Dr. Francis filed a Notice of Application in the Federal Court of Appeal, challenging the denial of his request for EI Benefits.

Many other Canadians have been denied EI benefits on the basis that their choice to not get vaccinated constituted “misconduct.” In 2021, (then) Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough stated that Canadians who did not receive the Covid vaccine could be justifiably terminated and denied access to EI.

Counsel for Dr. Francis, James Manson, stated, “In my view, the Tribunal’s decision in this case is deeply concerning. In most cases, employee ‘misconduct’ (as contemplated by federal legislation) can and should result in an employee losing their entitlement to Employment Insurance benefits. This case is different, however. Our view is that an employee’s unwillingness to comply with any workplace policy that violates their fundamental Charter rights cannot qualify as ‘misconduct,’ particularly in the free and democratic society of Canada, where an enormous value is rightly placed on the rights and freedoms of the individual.”

Mr. Manson continued, “In this case, the Tribunal appears to be saying that no matter what an employer’s workplace policy requires (even if it requires an employee to do something that violates his or her Charter rights), failure to abide by that policy means that the employee must also lose their EI benefits if they are terminated by their employer. That is far too draconian a result. It simply does not accurately reflect the state of the law in Canada on this issue, and I am confident that the Federal Court of Appeal will agree. This case could potentially set a significant precedent for many other Canadians denied EI benefits on account of their personal decision not to take the Covid vaccine.”

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COVID-19

Freedom Convoy protester Pat King found guilty on 5 of 9 charges

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From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

While Pat King has been labeled as one of the leaders of the Freedom Convoy by the mainstream media, he is largely considered by those who followed the event to be a tertiary actor.

A Canadian judge has found Pat King, a controversial figure connected to the Freedom Convoy, guilty of a total of five charges related to his involvement in the 2022 protests held in the nation’s capital which called for an end to COVID mandates.  

An Ottawa judge found King guilty of two counts of disobeying a court order, one count of mischief, one count of counselling others to commit mischief, as well as one count of counselling others to obstruct police. 

As reported by the Canadian Press, King was also found not guilty of four other charges, those being three counts of intimidation and one count of obstructing police.  

King’s lawyers had argued that his involvement with the Freedom Convoy was peaceful in nature and did not warrant any of the charges laid against him. 

Crown lawyers claimed that King was one of the main leaders of the Freedom Convoy who played a key role in the month-long protests that took place in January and February of 2022. 

The Crown’s case relied heavily on videos posted to social media, which were shared by King throughout the protests. 

While King has been labeled as one of the leaders of the Freedom Convoy by the mainstream media, he is largely considered by those who followed the event to be a tertiary actor.

For instance, True North’s Andrew Lawton, who wrote a book on the Freedom Convoy, wrote in 2022, “the media keeps calling Pat King the ringleader of the convoy, but in reality, organizers told him to get lost when they realized he was toxic.” 

In 2022, King was granted bail after spending five months in jail for his involvement with the protests. He had to pay a $25,000 fine and was banned from speaking to other Freedom Convoy members and was placed under curfew. 

In late February that same year, King was denied bail by a judge. He was arrested on February 18 and was charged with various offenses, including mischief and counseling to commit mischief. 

As it stands now, the Freedom Convoy’s actual main leaders, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, are awaiting their fate in their trial for their involvement in the 2022 protests. As reported by LifeSiteNews, Lich and Barber face a possible 10-year prison sentence for their role in the 2022 Freedom Convoy. 

As reported by LifeSiteNews, some protesters charged for participating the Freedom Convoy have seen their charges dropped.  

In early 2022, thousands of Canadians from coast to coast came to Ottawa to demand an end to COVID mandates in all forms. Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government enacted the Emergencies Act on February 14. Trudeau revoked the EA on February 23. 

The EA controversially allowed the government to freeze the bank accounts of protesters, conscript tow truck drivers, and arrest people for participating in assemblies the government deemed illegal. 

COVID vaccine mandates, which also came from provincial governments with the support of the federal government, split Canadian society. The mRNA shots have been linked to a multitude of negative and often severe side effects in children. 

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armed forces

Judge dismisses Canadian military personnel’s lawsuit against COVID shot mandate

Published on

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Associate Judge Catherine Coughlan rejected a lawsuit from more than 300 past and current members of the Canadian military who lost their jobs or were put on leave for not taking the experimental, dangerous COVID shots.

A Canadian federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed on behalf of some 330 past and current members of the nation’s military who lost their jobs or were placed on leave for refusing the experimental COVID shots, because she alleged that their lawsuit lacked “evidence” that the jabs were harmful.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members had sought some $1.3 million in damages from the government for having their charter rights violated due to the military’s 2021 COVID mandates, according to their lawsuit.

In a November 13 ruling, Edmonton-based Associate Judge Catherine Coughlan ruled in favor of the Trudeau government, and thus military’s COVID jab mandate, to strike down the case. Coughlan remarked that the plaintiffs’ case lacked “material facts” along with “evidence” and was filled with “vexatious language.”

READ: Canadian father files $35 million lawsuit against Pfizer over son’s jab-related death

“The only indications of bad faith are found when the pleadings baldly assert that, among other claims, Canada failed to carry out safety and efficacy testing for the vaccines, and that the Directives were premature and ‘promoted the fraudulent use of the biologics’,” she wrote, overlooking reports of thousands of injuries due to the shots in Canada alone.

As a result of the lawsuit being tossed, all plaintiffs are now on the hook to pay some $5,040 out of pocket in legal costs.

As reported by LifeSiteNews in June, documents obtained by LifeSiteNews show that the number of jab injuries in the CAF rose over 800 percent in 2021, with the most being credited to Moderna’s experimental COVID shot.

The CAF members’ lawsuit was filed in June of 2023 and overall sought some $1 million in damages, along with an extra $350,000 in general damages. The lawsuit also had a condition that there be a declaration made that mandating the COVID shots for military members was a violation of their charter rights.

READ: Israeli boy featured in COVID vaccine campaign dies of heart attack at age 8

Under the CAF’s mandate, hundreds of military members were fired, or one could say, purged for not getting the COVID shots. This is in addition to the thousands of public servants fired for not agreeing to take the COVID shots.

The CAF eventually ended its COVID mandate in October 2022, which was months after the federal mandate was lifted, but members are still “strongly encouraged” to take the experimental shot.

The federal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that its federal COVID shot workplace mandate would be dropped in June 2022, as would the mandate requiring domestic travelers have the shot to board planes and trains.

In November of 2023, a CAF member who spoke to LifeSiteNews under the condition of anonymity observed that the military considers members who refuse the COVID jab “a piece of garbage.”

READ: COVID shots have 200-times higher risk of brain clots than other jabs: new report

In March, LifeSiteNews reported on large personnel losses causing the CAF to consider dropping its remaining requirements altogether.

Although Canada has a Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP) program, active members of the CAF, as well as veterans, are not eligible for the civilian program. According to Christensen, this leaves many COVID jab-injured CAF members and veterans with no recourse other than Veterans Affairs Canada.

COVID shot mandates, which came from provincial governments with the support of Trudeau’s federal government, split Canadian society. The mRNA shots themselves have been linked to a multitude of negative and often severe side effects, such as heart diseases, stroke, and death, including in children.

The shots also have connections to cell lines derived from aborted babies. As a result, many Catholics and other Christians refused to take them.

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