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.
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.
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.
Melanie Risdon is an Alberta Reporter for the Western Standard and Alberta Report based in the Calgary Headquarters.
She has over 20 years’ experience in media at Global News, Rogers and Corus.
I have idly been trying to make sense of this part of Trudeau's musings and think I may have come close to figuring it out. The first principle is that of the Mad Hatter (I think it was) who said that words just mean whatever the Hatter says they mean. Think Stephane Dion a few years ago when the Kyoto treaty was in the news, and he named his dog "Kyoto". Or now, when you get "fully vaccinated" against Covid, by taking a shot that does nothing to prevent your future infection by Covid. So "following the science" cant mean what we have meant for decades when we say that. Turns out nobody told those who created the "policy" (PHAC) that the "science" indicated those measures should be adopted. And those people writing the "mandates" had no scientific background. Just did what their masters wanted them to do. Now, since we are polite canadians, we recoil at calling our PM a bald-faced bought -and- paid- for liar, so we assume he was wearing his "mad Hatter" hat. Perhaps he has a dog named "the Science" that he follows around?? Or perhaps Klaus Schwab has a big Rule Book, to go along with the list of his political Handmaidens, that needed a name for easy reference. Since "Mein Kampf" was already taken, it perhaps seemed useful to label it "the Science" so as to appear harmless (kind of like George Soros referring to the Open Society, which is not Open, and arguably not a "society".) If I am correct here, we have found a way to avoid calling JT a liar, while explaining what he is doing. The useful corollary is that we can now claim that trudeau's Science should be the basis of criminal charges, without redefining "criminal charges". Watch for my next chapter called "the meaning of 'Woke'".
Tucker Carlson is right every time he calls Turdiot a "little dictator". Watched Global 'Pravda' National tv news (and puked) at 5:00 PM. Global gets 20% of its income from Canadian taxpayers but will not report the truth. No media should get a penny of taxoayers' hardearned dollars. 'Cause this is what you get for your money: propaganda.
How much more corruption will Canadians stand? This liberal regime is out of control, and the NDP is in full support of it, and remember, both federal and Provincial NDP parties are joined at the hip.
So Justin and his minions lied when they said the police asked for martial law and lied again when they implied the jab mandate for travellers came from the public health authorities.
So apparently you're supposed to check your brain at the door - "“It’s not my responsibility to question or analyze the data that the experts on public health in this country provide me,” she said." Also "experts".
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I have idly been trying to make sense of this part of Trudeau's musings and think I may have come close to figuring it out. The first principle is that of the Mad Hatter (I think it was) who said that words just mean whatever the Hatter says they mean. Think Stephane Dion a few years ago when the Kyoto treaty was in the news, and he named his dog "Kyoto". Or now, when you get "fully vaccinated" against Covid, by taking a shot that does nothing to prevent your future infection by Covid. So "following the science" cant mean what we have meant for decades when we say that. Turns out nobody told those who created the "policy" (PHAC) that the "science" indicated those measures should be adopted. And those people writing the "mandates" had no scientific background. Just did what their masters wanted them to do. Now, since we are polite canadians, we recoil at calling our PM a bald-faced bought -and- paid- for liar, so we assume he was wearing his "mad Hatter" hat. Perhaps he has a dog named "the Science" that he follows around?? Or perhaps Klaus Schwab has a big Rule Book, to go along with the list of his political Handmaidens, that needed a name for easy reference. Since "Mein Kampf" was already taken, it perhaps seemed useful to label it "the Science" so as to appear harmless (kind of like George Soros referring to the Open Society, which is not Open, and arguably not a "society".) If I am correct here, we have found a way to avoid calling JT a liar, while explaining what he is doing. The useful corollary is that we can now claim that trudeau's Science should be the basis of criminal charges, without redefining "criminal charges". Watch for my next chapter called "the meaning of 'Woke'".
Every syllable coming from this vile disgusting Trudeau infected regime is a lie
Every syllable
Tucker Carlson is right every time he calls Turdiot a "little dictator". Watched Global 'Pravda' National tv news (and puked) at 5:00 PM. Global gets 20% of its income from Canadian taxpayers but will not report the truth. No media should get a penny of taxoayers' hardearned dollars. 'Cause this is what you get for your money: propaganda.
How much more corruption will Canadians stand? This liberal regime is out of control, and the NDP is in full support of it, and remember, both federal and Provincial NDP parties are joined at the hip.
So Justin and his minions lied when they said the police asked for martial law and lied again when they implied the jab mandate for travellers came from the public health authorities.
...Surprising absolutely no one. Thanks for reporting on this though WS. Keep up the good work.
So apparently you're supposed to check your brain at the door - "“It’s not my responsibility to question or analyze the data that the experts on public health in this country provide me,” she said." Also "experts".
Appalling but not surprising
These people and this government are demons
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.