According to testimony from a federal government bureaucrat, Health Canada did not recommend a vaccine mandate for travel. .Jennifer Little, the director general of COVID Recovery at Transport Canada, is responsible for writing the policy put in place by the Trudeau government preventing millions of unvaccinated Canadians from flying or travelling by train..According to recently released court documents, Little testified in federal court on June 9 and 10 as a government witness, as reported by NTD, a New York-based digital news agency. .While being cross-examined under oath, Little was asked if she was aware the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) or Health Canada had recommended a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination travel restriction. ."I don't recall a direct recommendation," Little testified on June 9. ."Certainly, we worked very closely with them in preparing the policy, which was supported by the government. So, in terms of a written recommendation, for example, no."."But as part of a policy-making process and the decision-making supporting process, certainly ... we were working very closely with our health colleagues." .The testimony was heard during court proceedings related to lawsuits filed against the government for the federal COVID-19 travel restrictions, including one launched by businessmen Karl Harrison and Shaun Rickard, as well as one that includes former Newfoundland premier Brian Peckford and Peoples Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier..COVID-19 travel restrictions were brought in on Nov. 30, 2021 and restricted travel for anyone over the age of 12 who could not provide proof of vaccination. .READ MORE: Unvaxxed grounded in Canada.The policy was originally set to come into effect October 30, however, the federal government announced it would grant a grace period to unvaccinated travellers allowing for a negative COVID-19 test to be provided within 72 hours of the trip..After nine months, the government said it was "suspending" COVID-19 vaccination requirements on June 20 allowing unvaccinated Canadians to travel via plane, train, and boat again. .READ MORE: Federal government to suspend vaccine mandates for travellers, federal workers next week.Little said she and her team of just under 20 drafted Transport Canada's policy in late July ahead of the government's announcement of the travel restrictions on August 13. .She was asked again on June 10 if PHAC or Health Canada had recommended the mandatory vaccination policy and if she had any "emails, briefs, or reports" showing as such. ."I do not recall a document from the [PHAC] to Transport Canada recommending that Transport Canada take this approach," she said. .Little also testified she and her team do not have any scientific background and admitted she accepted whatever data was provided to her from PHAC. .“It’s not my responsibility to question or analyze the data that the experts on public health in this country provide me,” she said..Epidemiologist Dr. Lisa Waddell, a member of the Emerging Sciences Group at PHAC, also testified in court on May 31 and confirmed PHAC had not recommended vaccination as a requirement to travel by air. .Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on several occasions, justified the mandates insisting his government has been "following the science." ."We're going to continue to follow the science," he said during an early February question period after interim Conservative Party Leader Candice Bergen pointed to Liberal MP Joël Lightbound breaking ranks to criticize his government's COVID-19 restrictions..Again on June 15 in the House of Commons, Trudeau said his government has "followed science" throughout every step of the pandemic. .The Western Standard sought comment from Health Canada but did not hear back in time for publishing.
