November 20, 2020
Ad Standards
33 Bloor St E, Suite 303
Toronto, ON M4W 3H1
Re: Case #544063
Attention: Yamina Bennacer, Senior Manager, Standards
Dear Ms. Bennacer
Thank you for your letter of November 16, 2020 providing Vaccine Choice Canada with copies of the complaints received by Ad Standards and inviting comment with respect to the merits of these complaints.
Nature of the Complaints
I have reviewed the three complaints and copied their statements of claim below:
- “These ads are spreading misinformation and propaganda. They are a health risk.”
- “anti vaccination information is false, dangerous and absolutely horrifying that something like this got approved in the times we’re living in. having visited their website they’re against a covid vaccine being mandatory and spreading dangerous conspiracy theorys”
- “This is false and dangerous news. It’s disgusting it was even allowed to be put up.”
Response of Vaccine Choice Canada
One wonders if these complaints were generated by individuals who actually viewed the billboards as these statements do not even remotely reflect the content of the billboards.
There are three billboards. The billboards make the following statements/questions:
- Take the Coronavirus Quiz.
- Masks, distancing, lockdowns. Are they working?
- Is the cure worse than the illness?
None of these billboards contain anything that could be misconstrued as “misinformation”, “propaganda”, or “anti-vaccination information”. The billboards don’t even reference vaccination.
The billboard campaign was designed to invite consideration and public discourse on the measures being imposed in response to COVID-19. The fact is that many recognized global health and research experts have offered their severe and valid criticism of government overreach and the unjustifiable measures taken in response to COVID-19.
It is our expectation that in a free and democratic country that our legislators and mainstream media would vigorously debate the measures being imposed during this time. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Any debate or discussion of the measures imposed by executive levels of government and unelected officials is systematically censored. Billboards are one of the few remaining public spaces left to engage with the public about these matters of urgent importance.
Vaccine Choice Canada and BC Billboards have received hundreds of letters of support for opening up the dialogue on the government’s response to COVID. Clearly Canadians want to talk about the COVID measures. It is our hope and expectation that our questions invite honest debate and rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness and legality of the measures being imposed.
Unfortunately, there is a segment of society whose wish is to deny Canadians their right to freedom of speech and their medical and legal right to informed consent. It would appear that these complaints were generated by individuals who are advocating for their own personal agenda and ideology and who do not support our constitutional rights and freedoms in Canada.
Assessment of the Complaints
My assessment of the complaints is that they are vexatious and malicious and completely without merit. Their purpose in bringing forth this action was purely to cause annoyance and to censor the speech of Canadians who support the medical right to informed consent.
Sincerely,
Ted Kuntz, President
View and read more about the VCC Billboards HERE.
