Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he took "personally" the deaths of unvaccinated Canadians and wished he could have done more to convince them to get vaccinated. ."Every heartbreaking story I hear of a family who sat beside the bed of a loved one who died because they believed the vaccines were more dangerous than the disease, I take personally, because I wish I could have done more to convince people to get vaccinated," Trudeau said at the Public Order Emergency Commission..Trudeau's comments on the unvaccinated came in response to cross-examination by Freedom Convoy lawyer Eva Chipiuk. Trudeau was the final witness to testify at the Public Order Emergency Commission, which is tasked with determining whether the federal government was justified in invoking the Emergencies Act in response to the Freedom Convoy..In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government barred unvaccinated Canadians from holding jobs in the public service, as well as travelling via rail or plane. The Canadian province also implemented their own vaccine passport systems, barring the unvaccinated from establishments like restaurants, bars, gyms, and museums..Chipiuk read off testimonials from Canadians who were negatively impacted by vaccine mandates. "The truckers and the Canadians who lined the roads, overpasses and highways restored the hope I had almost lost. These patriotic Canadians told me that I am not alone," wrote one woman.."For months, the leader of our country publicly shamed people like me. Family members turned on us, blamed us and some even told us we don't deserve healthcare," said another.."Our government has destroyed my family and I, a once optimistic, full of life person, find myself struggling to stay above water now. I struggle to find joy in anything and daily fear another announcement being made that will further punish us.".Chipiuk then asked Trudeau, "do you now understand the reason so many Canadians came to Ottawa with such resolve in the midst of a harsh Canadian winter?".READ MORE: Trudeau 'serene and confident' that invoking Emergencies Act was right decision to 'keep people safe'."I am moved, and I was moved as I heard these testimonies, as I saw the depth of hurt and anxiety with the present and future expressed by so many people," Trudeau said. "The COVID pandemic was unbelievably difficult on so many Canadians.".Trudeau was then asked about comments he made in December of 2021, when he called unvaccinated Canadians "racists and misogynists.".While on a French-Canadian television show, Trudeau said that there were people who are "fiercely against vaccination, who don’t believe in science, they’re often misogynistic, also often racists."."It’s a small group that muscles in. And we have to make a choice, in terms of leaders, in terms of the country. Do we tolerate these people?".But Trudeau told the commission that he never called people who are unvaccinated "names." He claimed there is a difference between people who are hesitant to get vaccinated and those who "deliberately spread misinformation that puts at risk the health of their fellow Canadians."."My job throughout this pandemic was to keep Canadians safe. And the way I chose to do that was to lean on public health officials, lean on experts, and science, on the best way to keep people safe," he said..During the commission's closing statements, Chipiuk said there were "no reasonable and probable grounds" for the federal government to invoke the Emergencies Act. She said Trudeau's government chose "state violence over peaceful negotiations."."The irony is the protest in Ottawa was primarily about government overreach," she said..Chipiuk said the Ottawa protest was a chance for Canadians to come together in unity and added that that the protestors were not extremists or terrorists.."If there was ever a time for a prime minister to step down, now is the time."
