The National Citizens Inquiry (NCI) on COVID-19 had sound recommendations on vaccination for the virus in an online press conference held September 14.
Unfortunately, you probably never heard the sound. CBC signed onto the feed but did not report on it. CPAC carried and posted the presentation for its niche political viewership. Otherwise, most journalists in attendance on the live feed were independent or from the United States.
The NCI final report is still being written, but the commission decided its recommendations on COVID-19 vaccines just couldn’t wait. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, wore a mask at a September 12 press conference, telling Canadians to prepare to wear them again. The Food and Drug Administration in the United States greenlit new COVID-19 vaccines the same day.
That doesn’t sit well with NCI Commissioner Ken Drysdale.
“What’s striking is that this new vaccine seemed to have gained approval primarily on the strength of prior authorizations granted for COVID-19 vaccines. In tandem, the CDC (Centres for Disease Control) swiftly followed suit, endorsing the use of these new vaccines for individuals as young as six months of age,” Drysdale said.
“Furthermore, Health Canada has also recently greenlit a new COVID-19 vaccine produced by Moderna. And it seems that this approval followed a similar path as those in the United States.”
Moderna’s mRNA vaccine facility is being built in Montreal and will produce 100 million doses in 2024. Unfortunately, as Drysdale explained, the previous COVID-19 mRNA vaccines bypassed Canada’s food and drug regulations. They normally require rigorous evidence of safety and efficacy and a risk-benefit analysis. He called for a “thorough investigation” of how an “interim order” became a “permanent regulation” to allow this.
“The necessity to objectively establish the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines appears to have been set aside. The significance of this cannot be overstated,” Drysdale said.
“The timing of the interim order, just ahead of the vaccine authorization application, also raises questions about whether pharmaceutical companies knew in advance what the authorization requirements would be.”
The NCI had approximately 300 witnesses as in hearings across Canada earlier this year. Non-binding subpoenas were sent to 63 members of government regulators and authorities, but none testified.
“Testimony highlighted potential conflict of interest and biases within the teams responsible for conducting and reporting the trial data submitted to Health Canada, raising concerns about the transparency and objectivity of the testing process,” he said.
The NCI has four recommendations regarding COVID-19 vaccines:
1. Rescind the newly-implemented revisions to the food and drug regulations related to COVID-19 vaccine authorization, as they permanently exempt these vaccines from the requirements to objectively prove safety and efficacy.
2. Immediately halt the current use of COVID-19 vaccines in Canada that were authorized under the revised provisions of the interim order and the newly revised food and drug regulations.
3. Conduct a full judicial investigation into the authorization process of COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada with the possibility of addressing any criminal liability that might be found.
4. Make all documentation concerning the authorization process and information provided to regulatory agencies by the manufacturers publicly available.
Ches Crosbie became an NCI administrator after stepping down as Progressive Conservative Party leader in Newfoundland. He also expressed concerns.
“If you’re like me, you will be shocked to learn that Health Canada has never decided that the COVID vaccines are safe and effective,” Crosbie said.
Crosbie said the oft-repeated “‘safe and effective’ slogan” was “nothing but a marketing pitch” that left many other Canadians like him, “duped into taking undue risks with your health and safety.”
“The statement on the Health Canada website that the COVID vaccines are proven safe and effective is a lie. Politicians lied, officials lied and the regulator Canadians trusted to protect them has been corrupted,” he said.
The final NCI report is expected to be in excess of 1,000 pages, without counting appendices. Spokesperson Michelle Leduc Catlin said whether the report has “teeth” depends on the public.
“This is an unprecedented organization and unprecedented process, we are building a new muscle in democracy here…But, there is no legal binding way for us to implement this. So this is really going to be like everything else that’s happened with the NCI, something that is up to the citizens of Canada,” she said.
“So I put it back to all of you, what are you going to do with this? We need to get this word out. And it’s going to be up to each and every one of us to share this report to ensure that the media pays attention, that the government pays attention.”
Let’s hope that happens. Life has mostly returned to normal, and the excuse of an emergency is gone. It is disturbingly negligent, unscientific, and almost farcical that a vaccine could be pre-approved based on prior ones that bypassed proper scrutiny. It’s time we learn our lessons before we risk a cure potentially worse than a disease.
Watch on Rumble here.
Lee Harding is a Research Fellow for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.
