May 3, 2020
The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister,
I am writing in my capacity as President of Vaccine Choice Canada, and as a spokesperson for the many Canadians who are concerned about government overreach in the response to SARS-CoV-2. As we both know, we are living in unprecedented times. The mass and indiscriminate containment of citizens and the restricting of access to our economy, courts, parliament and livelihoods are extraordinary measures that have never before been considered, much less implemented. The impact of these measures on our physical, emotional, psychological and economic well-being is considerable and clearly not sustainable.
If the goal is to keep our families and communities healthy, not just in the short-term but also in the long-term, Canadians require further information to enable us, in all good conscience, to continue to support these extraordinary measures being imposed by government.
I respectfully request answers to the following questions with regard to governmental strategies being enacted in response to SARS-CoV-2:
- What evidence supports the strategies and actions enacted by the government?
- What data informs the government’s intervention strategy for SARS-CoV-2?
- What is the source of this data?
- What scientific data is the government relying on to justify the imposition of ‘physical distancing’ as an effective method to reduce transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus?
- What scientific data is the government relying on to justify the use of masking as an effective method to reduce transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus?
- Do the mortality numbers justify the response?
- What data exists to indicate that the total ‘excess mortality’ in Canada has increased substantially during this period of SARS-CoV-2 infection?
- Is the mortality data reliable given the inability of the medical system to differentiate between individuals dying from SARS-CoV-2 and those dying with SARS-CoV-2?
- What is the justification for the continued restrictions given the number of reported deaths attributed to SARS-CoV-2 is not out of the normal range when compared to the annual mortality from influenza and pneumonia through the last decade?
- What is the merit of continuing mass and indiscriminate restrictions?
- The reason given for imposing mass and indiscriminate restrictions was to “flatten the curve” in order to prevent overwhelming of our medical services. Given that our hospitals are now operating at 50 – 60% capacity, what is the justification for continued restrictions?
- What efforts and actions are being implemented by the government to support the acquisition of natural immunity and thus the development of herd immunity?
- What does the scientific evidence indicate is the impact of ‘physical distancing’ on the development of natural herd immunity?
- What does the scientific evidence indicate is the impact of ‘physical distancing’ on prolonging the epidemic?
- What consideration is being given to the wider consequences of mass containment?
- What is the anticipated impact of mass and indiscriminate containment on overall health, including the loss of life, as a result of restricted access to social supports, earning a livelihood, medical and dental services, religious services and recreational resources?
- What consideration is being given to the impact of the current restrictions on our economy and on individual and national debt?
- What is the government’s exit strategy from the imposed restrictions?
- What is the timeline for this exit strategy?
- What evidence supports this exit strategy?
- What is the rationale for preventing those with low/no risk of mortality and those who have already developed immunity from returning to normal life?
- Given that other countries have already lifted restrictions, or never imposed such mass restrictions, what evidence does this government rely on to justify continued restrictions?
- What is the rationale for the closure of our courts?
- When can we expect our courts to re-open?
- What is the justification for the effective closure of our parliament?
- How can we hold our government accountable for their actions when our parliament is effectively closed?
- When can we expect our parliament to fully re-open?
- What is the rationale for reliance on a vaccine?
- How is it logical that life will ‘return to normal’ only after a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is available, when humanity is exposed to incalculable numbers of infectious viruses and bacteria in daily living – for which there are no vaccines?
- Are other treatment modalities which have shown promise in the treatment of CV 19 (Remdesivir, VITAMIN C and D, zinc, HCQ, GTH precursors and oxygen treatments, including hyperbaric chambers) being utilized, and if not why not?
- Who will assume legal and financial liability for any injury or death resulting from a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 given important safety protocols, including animal testing, are being bypassed?
- What consideration is being given to protecting our rights and freedoms?
- If a vaccine is developed for SARS-CoV-2, will this government support the right of individuals to fully informed consent and bodily sovereignty?
- Will this government protect our right to privacy and forbid the use of surveillance technologies to monitor citizens?
The Onus is on Government
During this time of extraordinary measures, it is critical that the government’s response be measured, reasonable, and supported by demonstrable evidence. The severe curtailment of civil liberties without projected timelines for their rescission, the shutdown of economic activity and resulting job losses, the increase of human suffering through confinement and restriction of liberty, and the closure of courts of justice denying citizens a ready recourse, are all factors which bear close scrutiny, and must be weighed in the balance of a Constitution which zealously guards the rights and freedoms of citizens.
We recognize that governments may enact laws and pursue policies that limit Charter rights and freedoms, but the onus is on the government to prove that the limit is demonstrably justifiable in a free and democratic society. Our response to current and proposed government decrees is therefore dependent upon the evidence and proofs requested.
I look forward to your earliest reply so that I may share this information with my colleagues.
Sincerely,
Ted Kuntz, President
Vaccine Choice Canada
cc:
The Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Chair) Chrystia.Freeland@parl.gc.ca
The Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos (Vice-Chair) Jean-Yves.Duclos@parl.gc.ca
The Hon. Navdeep Singh Bains Navdeep.Bains@parl.gc.ca
The Hon. William Sterling Blair Bill.Blair@parl.gc.ca
The Hon. Patricia Hajdu Patty.Hajdu@parl.gc.ca
The Hon. Mélanie Joly Melanie.Joly@parl.gc.ca
The Hon. William Francis Morneau Bill.Morneau@parl.gc.ca
The Hon. Carla Qualtrough Carla.Qualtrough@parl.gc.ca
The Hon. Kirsty Duncan, Deputy Leader kirsty.duncan@parl.gc.ca
Response received from the Office of the Prime Minister in February, 2021.
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