Canadian COVID Care Alliance (CCCA) — a group of independent Canadian doctors, scientists and healthcare practitioners — is holding a Citizens' Hearing Wednesday to Friday as an independent inquiry into Canada's response to COVID-19. .The livestream event will consist of testimonials and speakers from across the country over a three day period beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. daily from Wednesday morning to Friday afternoon. ."We will hear evidence from scientists, legal experts, and healthcare providers, as well as testimonials from everyday citizens about how Canada’s response to COVID-19 impacted their professional and personal lives," said CCCA in a statement on the Citizens' Hearing website. .Testimonials will include:.Personal impactsEducational impactsConstitutional rights and freedomsEconomic impactsMedical and scientific assumptions Next Steps Taskforce."An increasing number of Canadians are concerned about how the COVID crisis was handled by our governments and institutions," said CCCA. ."We're alarmed by the serious consequences of their decisions and, at times, their seeming indifference. Those consequences include tragic impacts on the personal lives of many, violations of constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms in the name of health protection, and economic impacts of lockdown measures, which subjected millions of us to unemployment, loss of income and business closures." .Organizers say they hope to address and gain answers to these questions throughout the three-day event:.Were the measures taken by governments in Canada appropriate to the threat?Were they based on sufficient clinical and statistical evidence?Were they suitably focused?How effective were they? Were there conflicts of interest at play?Was there enough emphasis on prevention and early treatment or informed concent?Was sufficient debate permitted?In attempting to prevent COVID-19, what other maladies were we ignoring or fostering?."These concerns have given rise to a growing demand for an independent national inquiry into the management of the COVID crisis in Canada," said CCCA. ."A Citizens' Hearing will consist of testimonials challenging the official responses of Canada's federal and regional governments and recommendations for better handling the next public health crisis.".Wednesday, June 22.Topics:.Education MaskingEmployment/LabourNatural immunityThe Emergencies ActCharter Analysis.Speakers:.Irvin Studen, editor-in-chief and publisher of Global Brief magazine and president of leading Canadian think tank The Institute for 21st Century QuestionsLawyer James Kitchen, civil litigationLawyer Leighton Grey, civil litigation and criminal lawDr. Steven Pelech, professor of neurology in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British ColumbiaLawyer Allan Rouben, civil litigation and criminal lawLawyer Sam Presvelos, civil litigation Lawyer Leslie Smith, employment law.Thursday, June 23.Topics:.Issues with professional collegesChildren and COVIDVaccine injuriesThe regulatory approval processInternational law.Speakers:.Dr. Patrick Phillips, emergency room physicianDeanna McLeod, founder of Kaleidoscope Strategies and Covid SenseDr. Eric Payne, pediatric neurologistLawyer Shawn Buckley, criminal and regulatory lawLawyer Louis Browne, public law/judicial reviewLawyer Gail Davidson, international and human rights law and founder of Lawyers Rights Watch Canada.Friday, June 24.Topics:.Family lawEconomic impactsInformed consentCross-partisan roundable discussionNext Steps Taskforce.Speakers:.Lawyer Myriam Bohmier, family, administrative, and labour lawLyndie HallDr. Richard Schabas, retired public health physician who served as the Chief Medical Officer of Health in Ontario from 1987 to 1997.Preston Manning, founder and leader of the Reform Party of Canada which evolved over the years into today's Conservative Party of Canada.."Canada's response to COVID-19 has been far from perfect," said CCCA. ."We can and should learn from our mistakes. The landscape of this enormous challenge has been and is constantly changing."."A Citizens' Hearing aims to contribute to a national conversation of truth and understanding that might lead us to a new perparedness.".The group suggests the next health crisis needs to be met with "confidence in a properly managed, pro-active and nuanced emergency management process" that is transparent, open and looks to "real world data."
