COVID-19
Canadian citizens’ inquiry commissioner says COVID response revealed ‘holes’ in Charter
From LifeSiteNews
‘ a failure as a document. The first time Canadians needed it and needed to lean upon it, it completely collapsed.’
The commissioner of Canada’s National Citizens Inquiry (NCI) revealed that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms allowed the Trudeau government to “override all of our rights at a whim.”
In an interview posted December 26, NCI Commissioner Ken Drysdale told the Post Millennial that the COVID ‘pandemic’ revealed that Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms fails to protect Canadians’ rights, allowing all levels of government to override basic rights under the pretense of an ’emergency’.
“You talk about Canadians’ naïveté. You know, we as Canadians, for the last 41 or 42 years, walked around with an umbrella closed waiting for a rainy day,” Drysdale said.
In this episode of Stand on Guard, host David Krayden interviews Ken Drysdale, the commissioner of the National Citizens Inquiry that examined the reaction of government to the COVID-19.
FULL interview link in comments.👇The inquiry interviewed thousands of people, amassed… pic.twitter.com/uTX4Cq5U3Z
— David Krayden (@DavidKrayden) December 26, 2023
“And what I’m talking about is the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The trouble was that after 40 some years we went to use that umbrella. We opened it up, and it was full of holes,” he revealed.
“Because essentially what we did was we put a lock on the door,” he continued. “But then we put the key under the mat and told the thief that the key was under the mat and thought the lock was going to protect us … We wrote a Constitution which gave an out to the government: they could essentially declare an emergency and override all of our rights at a whim – and that’s what they did.”
The citizen-led and funded NCI was created in 2022 to investigate the “unprecedented” COVID mandates imposed on Canadians by all levels of government.
According to Drysdale, the Charter failed Canadians when they most needed it, allowing the government to force people to take the experimental COVID vaccine and wear masks, and to close businesses and churches.
He argued that the Charter “was a failure as a document. The first time Canadians needed it and needed to lean upon it, it completely collapsed.”
“You have these absolute governments who are shutting down our industry, who are taking away Canadians’ rights and freedoms,” he continued.
Drysdale suggested that Canadians have become accustomed to a government which infringes on their rights and freedoms.
“It wasn’t that much of a leap for Canadians to start wearing these masks,” he added. “… You can be driving down the road minding your own business and police have the right to pull you over for a check-stop and examine you with no probable cause.”
RELATED: Canadian citizen-led inquiry’s final report calls for all COVID court cases to be reviewed at once
Drysdale’s comments echo the NCI’s final report which was released in November 2023. The report called for a full review of all COVID-related court cases to restore the public’s faith in Canada’s judiciary system.
The final report is 5,324 pages long and includes dozens of recommendations for lawmakers, public institutions, and the general public to implement.
It was compiled by four independent commissioners. The NCI was tasked with looking into the negative side effects many Canadians experienced after getting the experimental COVID shots. They listened to testimony from doctors affected by the jabs.
LifeSiteNews covered previous testimony from the NCI. In Ottawa on May 18, former CBC Manitoba reporter Marianne Klowak revealed that reporters were prevented from covering stories critical of COVID vaccines and lockdowns and were instead encouraged to push government “propaganda.”
Earlier this year, retired Canadian Lt. Col. David Redman testified before the NCI that legacy media outlets such as the CBC are “ministries of propaganda.”
The four commissioners on the NCI included Drysdale, Janice Kaikkonen, elected school board trustee Heather DiGregorio, a senior partner in a law firm, and Bernard Massie, an independent consultant in biotechnology.
Throughout most of the COVID crisis, Canadians from coast to coast were faced with COVID mandates, including jab diktats, put in place by both the provincial and federal governments. After much pushback, particularly from the Canadian truckers’ Freedom Convoy, most provincial mandates were eliminated by the summer of 2022. In late 2022, the Canadian federal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finally “suspended” a COVID jab travel mandate for flying.
COVID-19
Freedom Convoy’s Tamara Lich shares heartfelt letter from children: ‘God will be by your side’
From LifeSiteNews
Ahead of the announcement of the verdict from her trial in Canada, the Freedom Convoy co-leader posted on X the ‘beautiful letter’ from a 4-year-old and 8-year-old.
With a few weeks until a verdict is released, Freedom Convoy leader Tamara Lich shared a heartwarming letter she received from a child, who told her to “keep fighting” for everyone and that “God will protect” her from the “enemy.”
Lich shared an image of the letter Thursday on X, writing, “Feels like a good day to share this beautiful letter I received from some very wise children.”
The letter, which was handwritten and sent to Lich by 4-year-old Zavier and 8-year-old Alanis, has the title “God loves You.”
“Thank you for fighting for everyones FREEDOM. God will be by your side and God will protect you from the enemy,” the letter reads.
“With God everything is possible. Stay strong we are praying for you every step of the journey.”
Lich was arrested on February 17, 2022, in Ottawa. Co-leader Chris Barber was arrested the same day.
Lich and Barber’s trial concluded in September 2024, more than a year after it began. It was originally scheduled to last 16 days.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Lich and Barber’s verdict will be announced on March 12.
They both face a possible 10-year prison sentence. LifeSiteNews reported extensively on their trial.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Lich recently spelled out how much the Canadian government has spent prosecuting her and Barber for their role in the protests. She said at least $5 million in “taxpayer dollars” has been spent thus far, with her and Barber’s legal costs being above $750,000.
In early 2022, the Freedom Convoy saw thousands of Canadians from coast to coast come 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 never-before-used Emergencies Act (EA) on February 14, 2022.
During the clear-out of protesters after the EA was put in place, one protester, an elderly lady, was trampled by a police horse and one conservative female reporter was beaten by police and shot with a tear gas canister.
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.
From LifeSiteNews
Ontario Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland ruled that Pat King must serve three months of house arrest and dedicate 100 hours to community service for his participation in the 2022 Freedom Convoy
Freedom Convoy participant Pat King has been given a 3-month conditional sentence for his role in the 2022 Freedom Convoy protest against COVID mandates.
On February 19, Ontario Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland ruled that King must serve three additional months of house arrest and dedicate 100 hours to community service for his role in the Freedom Convoy. King’s sentence would have been 12 months, but the court gave him credit for time served prior to his trial.
“In the court’s opinion, there is a social harm to unduly elevating the sentencing rules of denunciation and deterrence in the context of political protests to result in punitive sentences at the top of the sentencing range,” Hackland wrote, explaining why he did not opt to sentence King to a whopping 10-year prison sentence, as the Crown prosecutors had advocated for.
“The risk is that an overly severe sentence of imprisonment in the context of legitimate, constitutionally protected activity can have the effect of creating a chill or fear of participation in political expression,” he continued.
In November, King was found 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.
King’s charges are in relation to his role in the 2022 Freedom Convoy which featured thousands of Canadians camping out in downtown Ottawa to call for an end to the COVID regulations and vaccine mandates in place at the time.
Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government enacted the Emergencies Act on February 14, 2022, to put an end to the popular convoy. Trudeau revoked the EA on February 23, but only after using the powers granted by the legislation to freeze the bank accounts of protesters, conscript tow truck drivers, and arrest people for participating in the assembly.
The two main Freedom Convoy leaders, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, are still awaiting their verdicts for their involvement in the 2022 protests. Like King, if convicted, they face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
While some of the most notable people involved in the protest, like Lich and Barber, face a slew of charges that come with potentially harsh sentences, other protesters charged for participating have seen their charges dropped.
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