A pro-life activist with Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) says she was viciously attacked and threatened by a stranger while peacefully protesting in Hamilton, Ontario.
Video footage of the incident show an unidentified man approaching 26-year-old Josie Luetke at Jackson Square before threatening to “put a bullet in (her) head.” At the time Luetke was supervising several CLC interns.
“Chick with the camera, put it in my face again, I’ll put a bullet in your head,” the man said.
“You did it in my face, I f*cking sh*t you not.”
“No, you cannot say that, sir,” replied Luetke.
Soon after the encounter, he allegedly physically assaulted Luetke after hitting her hand causing the camera to fall to the ground.
According to Leutke, the camera was undamaged but she received an injury on her hand.
True North spoke to Leutke soon after the incident who said that her and other pro-life activists were also harassed by another man the week prior due to their views.
“Having done pro-life activism for over a decade now, I am well-accustomed to disagreement. There are appropriate ways to express that disagreement though, and violence is absolutely not one of them. Earlier that day, a different man tried to disturb my interns by thrusting a pornographic video on his phone in their faces without their consent,” said Leutke.
A different video from the incident Leutke described shows a man approaching two young CLC volunteers and displaying pornography before them without their consent.
“That is also not acceptable. I’m not asking for special treatment. I’m asking that pro-lifers receive the same treatment that any other activist deserves,” said Leutke.
According to CLC, Leutke has submitted a report with the local police and hopes to file charges once the individual is identified.
“Well, you can see in the video that he’s very aggressive. He starts moving his backpack around as if he’s going to fight me. He had threatened to put a bullet in my head. It entered my mind that he could have a gun,” said Leutke of the assault.
“I’m thankful that it didn’t happen to any of the interns and that it did not escalate to something even worse. It could have been a lot worse.”
Brian Giesbrecht is a former Manitoba judge. James Pew is an independent writer. His work can be found on Substack at Woke Watch Canada and The Turn. Tom Flanagan is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Calgary.
July 2021: The scene is a live CBC broadcast from the former Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, Ontario, where, similar to earlier claims in Kamloops, British Columbia, clandestine graves of missing Indigenous children are said to be located. From the teddy-bear-lined steps, reporter Bobby Hristova somberly states, “In terms of the search, we heard Chief Mark Hill say, ‘No Money. No response.’”
In a letter addressed to the Ontario Premier’s office, Chief Hill explains that the $400,000 annual grant secured from the Ontario government, later increased to $700,000 over a three-year period, “falls short and is not commensurate with Ontario’s role in operating the school.” The search for secret catacombs of Indigenous children is a growing Canadian industry, which repeatedly broadcasts that current funding increases are not enough for the “children to be brought home.”
A year later, Hristova reports that Ottawa has signed on for more than $10 million to assist in the search in Brantford; but in spite of this generous amount, the sub-headline of the press release reads, “Group Leading Search Says Money is a good start, but not enough, and waits on Ontario to offer more.”
Tabitha Curley, a spokesperson for the Mohawks’ Survivors Secretariat, referring to a sum not yet granted, said that “even the $9 million may not be enough.” The Ministry of Indigenous Affairs spokesperson, Flavia Mussio, assures everyone concerned that “$1.3 million is the ‘first step in Ontario’s commitment to help survivors get answers,” and that the province will “keep working with Six Nations and the secretariat .”
Now known as the Woodland Cultural Center, Brantford’s former Mohawk Institute Residential School is the focus of many rumours of unmarked graves. To date there has been extensive use of ground penetrating radar, over 1,000 test pits dug by archaeologists across the large property, as well $50,000 worth of LiDAR – a process in which light is shot into the earth, reflecting back a subterranean image of what may lie beneath. Nothing has been found.
These grants are only drops in the river of money that governments are offering for research on unmarked graves. The federal government alone promised $320 million in August 2021 and $275 million in Budget 2022. Provincial governments are providing additional funds.
Canada is an enormous landmass, there are many former residential schools, and searches around all of them can potentially be extended indefinitely. When a search comes up empty it seems only to increase demand for a broader search.
But where is the police?
When murder is alleged, police secure the crime scene by roping off the area where evidence of foul play might be discovered. If the Kamloops allegations had been taken seriously, the RCMP should have immediately secured the entire area where the secret graves were allegedly discovered – an ill-conceived Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action notwithstanding.
The police should have immediately opened an investigation and began questioning possible witnesses and people of interest. In the Kamloops situation this would mean that the “six year olds” (who would now be adults) who were said to have been forced to dig graves late at night would be found, if they existed, and questioned.
Police immediately start an investigation when a homicide occurs because they want to find the culprit. If these stories of clandestine murder and secret burial are true, and some of the perpetrators might still be alive, they could and should be charged with serious crimes.
In most parts of rural Western Canada, where the RCMP have jurisdiction, they are by far the most competent police force to do this type of work. They not only have highly trained investigators, they have the only major crime forensic laboratory in Canada, along with other sophisticated criminal investigation machinery that local police forces—including local native police forces—do not have.
In Kamloops, a year after this crime of the century was alleged, one would expect to see a huge police operation with the area and exhibits secured, and the investigation well underway.
Currently, however, there are no properly secured investigations underway by the RCMP. Despite receiving an additional $5 million to help Indigenous communities where these horrible crimes allegedly happened, the RCMP is doing practically nothing. Why is that?
Probably because the police don’t believe these allegations. The RCMP have investigated claims of late-night murder and secret burials in other Indigenous communities, and they have all yielded no evidence of secret graves or foul play. The RCMP conducted proper investigations at two sites linked to residential schools (Shubenacadie and Camsell) and nothing was found. These cases were closed conclusively (or soon will be), which is what occurs when the goal is to discover the truth, not to prolong a process. Yet prolongation is what Canadians can expect, unless the RCMP gets involved in the remaining searches—but so far, they have not.
The ever-escalating demands for money to research unmarked graves are detached from any serious effort to investigate possible crimes. Money by itself will not serve the cause of justice if proper police work is not involved. Indigenous leaders have to decide what their real goal is — money or justice?
Canadians who voted for Justin Trudeau in the last election are most supportive of reinstating mask mandates and vaccine passports, a new poll has found.
The Angus Reid Institute asked Canadians questions related to the pandemic amid experts claiming that Canada is in a seventh wave fuelled by more transmissible subvariants of Omicron.
Results were broken down by several demographic factors, including who respondents voted for in the 2021 federal election.
The poll found Liberal voters are the most worried about Covid, compared to other voters. 72% of Trudeau voters surveyed said they are moderately or very concerned about getting sick from the virus.
The high level of worry comes despite 99% of the Liberal voters surveyed saying they’d been vaccinated.
Meanwhile, 69% of those who voted for the New Democratic Party (NDP), 68% of those who voted Green and 64 % of those who voted Bloc Quebecois (BQ) said they were concerned about getting Covid.
The percentage was lower for those who voted for right of centre parties. 33% of Conservative voters and 4% of People’s Party of Canada (PPC) voters expressed moderate to major concern over being sick from Covid.
Respondents were also asked about pandemic precautions.
66% of Liberal voters said they still wear masks indoors either all the time, most of the time, or sometimes. 63% of NDP and Green voters said yes to the latter.
Less than half of BQ voters (41%), Conservative voters (27%) and PPC voters (5%) said they mask up on an occasional to constant basis.
Those surveyed were also asked about the reintroduction of public health restrictions.
73% of Liberal voters said they would support reimposing mandatory masking, while 69% of NDP voters, 67% of Green voters and 54% of BQ voters showed support for the latter.
Only 28% of Conservative voters and 3% of PPC voters would support reinstating mask mandates to fight a surge in Covid infections.
Reinstating vaccine passports had low support levels among all voter groups; however, Liberal voters were still the most supportive.
38% of those who voted Liberal would support reimposing vaccine passports, while 37% of NDP voters as well as 29% of Green and BQ voters would support reinstating the controversial measure.
Only 12% of Conservative voters and 1% of PPC voters expressed support for a return to vaccine passports.
The vast majority of Liberal voters (72%) also said it would help them “feel better” if provinces reported Covid case counts, despite the fact that many health experts have stated that Covid case counts are less relevant amid changes to testing availability as well as vaccinations, therapeutics and more transmissible variants.
Effective immediately, CBC’s #COVID19 coverage will focus first on hospitalizations and secondly in case counts.
Case counts are no longer accurate and are also not the most important measure of the pandemic’s impact.
Hospitalization rates are now seen as a more relevant factor.
68% of NDP voters, 53% of Green voters, 43% of Bloc Quebecois voters, 25% of Conservative voters and 7% of PPC voters agreed with the latter.
The latest Angus Reid poll echoes similar findings which reveal how Liberal voters are still taking the pandemic very seriously. Earlier this month, another poll conducted by Angus Reid found that 85% of Liberal voters would get a yearly booster shot indefinitely if it was recommended by public health officials.
Meanwhile, 79% of NDP voters, 67% of Green voters, 62% of BQ voters, 41% of Conservative voters and 5% of PPC voters said they are willing to receive a yearly Covid shot.
Canada’s vaccine passport system was a highly controversial and divisive public health measure, as Canadians who had chosen to not take the Covid vaccine were barred from much of public life for months, which included boarding planes or trains from Oct. 30, 2021 to June 20, 2022.
Despite many provinces lifting their public health restrictions in recent months, the Trudeau government is continuing to require that people wear masks on planes and trains. Further, federal vaccine mandates are also still in place at the Canadian border, along with the requirement to use the ArriveCAN app.
The July 11 death of an elderly woman who had to lie on a stretcher for two days at a North Vancouver hospital is being blamed on the developing health care crisis in Canada.
Although the individual who died has not been confirmed officially, both Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and the Health Ministry have publicly offered condolences to the family of the deceased.
The woman first arrived at the hospital on July 9 complaining about heart complications and was taken to a stretcher in the waiting room by medical personnel due to no hospital beds being available at the time.
While still in the crowded waiting room, the woman was found to have been unresponsive on July 11.
According to one Lions Gate nurse who wishes to be anonymous, there were up to 17 others being monitored in the waiting room at the time.
“Every single nurse, when they gave reports, said she’s really sweet,” the nurse told the Vancouver Sun.
“She’s with it, she’s understanding, she’s patient. Her daughter was here all the time. They’re lovely people. They weren’t getting angry at us. They understood. They were flexible. They were so lovely.”
After staff discovered the woman, she was taken to be resuscitated and had CPR unsuccessfully performed on her.
When questioned about the incident, VCH offered scant details about what went wrong.
“This individual was assessed by a physician and received care from staff at Lions Gate,” said a spokesperson noting that staff were working “to meet the health care needs of local communities.”
BC Nurses’ Union president Aman Grewal said that she was aware of the incident and noted that similar situations were happening across the province.
“It’s not just isolated to Lions Gate. It’s happening with Royal Columbian. It’s happening at Eagle Ridge and Ridge Meadows. It’s happening everywhere, Surrey Memorial, Langley Memorial,” said Grewal.
In March, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) sounded the alarm that Canada’s health care system was collapsing.
“On top of severe exhaustion and burnout from working through two years of COVID-19, health care workers now face both massive system backlogs and a shortage of colleagues to cope with demands,” the CMA wrote.
Despite the shortage of health care workers, tens of thousands of workers across Canada were terminated or disciplined for not being vaccinated against Covid-19.
In October, it was revealed that BC decided to postpone surgeries and tests after placing 4,000 health care workers on unpaid leave due to their decision not to get vaccinated.
The Trudeau government confirmed that its ArriveCAN app wrongfully placed fully vaccinated travellers into quarantine.
Fully vaccinated travellers returning to Canada from an international trip are supposed to be exempted from a 14-day quarantine requirement.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino’s press secretary Audrey Champoux told CBC News that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) “has identified a technical glitch with the app that … can produce an erroneous notification instructing people to quarantine.”
According to Champoux, less than 3% of travellers were affected by the glitch, which seems to be linked to Apple devices.
The minister’s office said the problem should be resolved by the end of the week. Until then, travellers should rely on information provided to them by CBSA officers, rather than subsequent information from the ArriveCAN app.
David Crouch was one of the people affected by the ArriveCAN glitch. The quadruple vaccinated man was ordered into quarantine after returning to Canada from a trip.
“I checked my email and there’s an email from ArriveCAN, saying you are quarantined. This is your second day of quarantine,” Crouch told the National Post.
“It seems to be all one way. They can tell you things, they can send you things, but God forbid you ever tried to get hold of anybody.”
In recent weeks, industry experts and critics have called on the Trudeau government to drop the app amid delays plaguing Canadian airports and the fact that other jurisdictions have removed pandemic pre-entry requirements.
“Why do we need it?” Tourism Industry Association of Canada president and CEO Beth Potter told CBC News.
“Anything that is complicating the travel process, the travel journey right now is having a negative impact on the return of people travelling again”
However, the Trudeau government is continuing to double down on its digital app, with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) telling CBC News that the pandemic isn’t over.
PHAC spokesperson Tammy Jarbeau also claimed that ArriveCAN “improves processing times at the border, as it reduces the time needed for border services officers to question travellers and input their public health information manually.”
However, PHAC’s claims were challenged by the Customs and Immigration Union – which represents CBSA officers.
“What we’re experiencing is about 30, 35 per cent approximately of travellers are arriving without having completed the app,” the union’s national president Mark Weber told CBC News.
“[Some] people didn’t know there was an app, some people just have a hard time filling it out.”
Some Canadians fed up with the Trudeau government’s prolonged use of the ArriveCAN app have protested the requirement by refusing to use it when crossing the border.
Ontario resident Joanne Walsh did not use the ArriveCAN app when returning to Canada from Niagara Falls, New York out of protest. She was then ordered into quarantine despite being fully vaccinated.
Non-compliance with the Trudeau government’s mandatory requirement to use ArriveCAN can result in fines, enforcement action and a mandatory quarantine order.
WATCH: A fully vaccinated Canadian senior was given a 14-day quarantine order because she did not use the Trudeau Government's ArriveCAN app. “I shouldn't have to go through this, no Canadian should," she said. (Footage provided to @TrueNorthCentre by @canmericanized) pic.twitter.com/vj7BJsWEZL
The former leader of Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta (WIPA) is hoping party members will reinstate him at this weekend’s WIPA annual general meeting, following what he considers a wrongful termination by the party board. However, Board President Rick Northey says there won’t be a vote on Paul Hinman’s leadership and Hinman isn’t welcome to attend the AGM.
Hinman’s removal came swiftly after an independent report on his failed bid to win a seat in the Alberta legislature determined he was in a “conflict of interest” when he transferred campaign funds to pay himself.
Hinman initially filed a court injunction to stop the board from removing him as leader — but the court said his case was too complicated to proceed with an instant remedy.
The injunction is “a moot point now that the AGM is tomorrow,” Hinman told True North on Friday.
“The real judgment is tomorrow with the members and I’m happy with whatever the outcome, I’ll accept that.”
Hinman was elected as the WIPA leader in July 2020. He ran and lost in the March 15 Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche byelection won by Brian Jean, now a United Conservative Party leadership candidate.
According to a report submitted to WIPA’s board of governors from Provincial Nomination Committee Chair Gurcharan Garcha on June 20, Hinman did not follow Elections Alberta rules, party rules and nomination guidelines in the race. Campaign funds went to an honorarium for Hinman, which the report said is “highly irregular.”
While it’s not against Elections Alberta rules, it is a conflict of interest for a person to pay themselves from money given to them in trust to administer, the report found.
For the salary to be paid properly, Hinman should have declared a surplus and returned it to party executives to assign, Northey said on Triggered with Cory Morgan in June. Days after these comments, the party fired Hinman after a two-thirds board majority vote to remove him as a party member. He’s suspended from party membership for a minimum of 18 months.
Hinman was removed under a disciplinary review as a code of conduct following the report, Northey told True North. While party bylaws state a leadership review must occur at every AGM, there won’t be a vote on whether t0 hold a leadership race on Saturday because there’s already going to be a leadership race — one to replace Hinman. That vote will take place on November 26, Northey said.
“That’s what he has a court action against us over so that’s specifically what I can’t comment on,” he added.
Northey further contended that Hinman isn’t welcome at the AGM as he’s not a member in good standing. He said there won’t be security to keep Hinman from attending.
“I don’t think (Hinman) will actually try to come in if he realizes he’s not allowed,” Northey said. “He may show up but I don’t think he’s going to embarrass himself.”
But Hinman told True North he was planning to attend the AGM in Red Deer on Saturday.
“I’m on my way there right now,” he said from his car on Friday afternoon.
Hinman attributes his exit as leader to “saboteurs” inside the party with an “alternative agenda.” The board acted outside its authority by removing him and suspending him as a party member. That ruling should have been made by the party’s arbitration committee, he said.
“They want to remove me so they can get in a different leader,” he told True North.
“But whenever you have covert operations like this, you don’t really know what their end goal is.”
Further, he says the board has moved themselves into “protected positions” so ten members won’t be up for election at the party’s annual general meeting on Saturday.
It’s true half the board won’t be moving following the AGM, Northey said. The 20 board members are on a two-year term, so just half shuffle out every year, thereby retaining some institutional memory and receiving some fresh ideas.
The court will hear Hinman’s case on October 20.
The party’s board has appointed Calgary engineer Jeevan Singh Mangat to lead in the interim.
It’s Fake News Friday with Andrew Lawton and Harrison Faulkner!
In Canada, travellers on commercial trains are still required by law to wear a mask at all times. However, if you’re the prime minister participating in a photo-op on a train, no mask is needed. Does that make sense to you? Probably not but as Canadians have been told since the start of the pandemic – trust Trudeau’s ever-changing Covid science!
Plus, Joe Rogan blasts Trudeau, calling him a “creepy dictator” and of course, the Tru-Anon gang comes to the defence of Canada’s prime minister.
The state broadcaster gives Canadians some timely financial advice as inflation hits a record-high 8.1% – just ask for a raise or get a better job. Stop being poor, obviously.
And finally – for the low price of $58, you can dismantle white supremacy by buying a box of vegetables.
Conservative MP Dan Albas criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent Okanagan trip, describing it as an expensive photo-op.
Trudeau travelled to British Columbia on July 18 – 19, making appearances at a kids’ day camp and food processing plant in Kelowna, as well as a family farm and tourist steam train in Summerland.
Albas said that “normally an official visit by a Prime Minister occurs to make an announcement, participate in meetings or events like a caucus gathering and of course, to campaign in an election.”
However, Albas says “by in large this visit from the Prime Minister did not seem to involve any of these functions.” The Conservative MP has said that constituents contacted his office to inquire about the purpose of Trudeau’s visit to the region.
According to the Prime Minister’s itinerary for the B.C. trip, Trudeau had one scheduled official Government of Canada announcement on July 19th to “make an announcement on oceans protection” and to hold a media availability. The remainder of Trudeau’s itinerary included photo opportunities.
Albas also took issue with reports that journalists were muzzled during Trudeau’s appearances.
According to the Kelowna Daily Courier, journalists were told they could take photos of Trudeau but were forbidden from asking him questions.
“Any shouted queries would result in police-assisted eviction from the various premises,” the paper wrote.
Albas said that threatening journalists with eviction if they ask questions “raises serious concerns in a free and democratic country”
“By refusing to answer questions from journalists at various events it also means these events are intended to be used strictly as photo-ops.”
In response to the backlash, Trudeau’s office issued a statement disavowing the directives that were given to members of the media.
“Under no circumstances should journalists ever be threatened when covering a government or political event. Our office never instructed anyone to do this, and this is not how we operate,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Albas also took issue with the prime minister’s carbon footprint and criticized the fact that Trudeau’s challenger jet flew from Kelowna to Penticton, two towns that are a 45-minute drive from each other.
For some reason, @flightradar24 has mysteriously stopped tracking and alerting CANFORCE ONE on their service. @RadarBox24 — which as far as I know doesn't filter flights — shows the aircraft made a 60km hop from Kelowna to Penticton before taking the PM to Vancouver last night pic.twitter.com/q5YUOmMD0l
He speculated that “the reason why the Challenger jet flew from Kelowna to Penticton is because the alternative would have required the PM and his entourage to drive back to Kelowna from the south Okanagan during peak rush hour traffic.”
The prime minister’s recent trip to BC also raised eyebrows after Trudeau was accused of not following his government’s Covid protocols after he was seen maskless on the Kettle Valley steam train while his government continues to enforce strict mask mandates on commercial trains.
The Alberta Court of Appeals has ruled in favour of Pastor Artur Pawlowski who was arrested, jailed and fined for continuing to preach in breach of Alberta’s Covid-19 lockdowns.
Pastor Artur Pawlowski, of the Cave of Adullam congregation in Calgary, became a prominent figure following an April 2021 Easter service, in which he threw armed police out of his church when they attempted to inspect it for Covid-19 compliance. He was arrested multiple times and held at Edmonton Remand Centre, Canada’s largest prison.
Now, the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled that the injunction against him, his arrest, his jail time, the censorship order and fines against him were illegal.
Justice Barbara Lea Veldhuis, Justice Michelle Crighton and Justice Jo’ Anne Strekaf ordered Alberta Health Services (AHS) to reimburse Pawlowski and his brother, Dawid, for the costs of their appeal and the return of any fines and penalties paid, Rebel News reports.
The appeals panel concluded the original injunction banning protests in the name of public health “was not sufficiently clear and unambiguous.”
The judgement released Friday morning reads, “The Pawlowskis’ appeals are allowed. The finding of contempt and the sanction order are set aside. The fines that have been paid by them are to be reimbursed. “
“The chambers judge awarded costs to AHS payable by the Pawlowskis jointly in the amount of $15,733.50, calculated at 2.5 times column 1. That costs award is set aside and the Pawlowskis are awarded their costs payable by AHS in the proceedings below and in this Court calculated on the same basis.”
Pawlowski’s lawyer Sarah Miller said the group is pleased that the Court of Appeal applied proper legal reasoning and precedent to overturn the finding of contempt and sanction against the Pawlowskis.
“Alberta Health Services has pursued this matter against the Pawlowskis vigorously, and it is rewarding to have the Court of Appeal unanimously and soundly agree that injunctions and contempt proceedings must follow the rule of law and cannot be applied and sought so indiscriminately,” she said in a statement to True North.
“Unfortunately for the taxpayers of Alberta, Alberta Health Services has needlessly pursued this matter and now must pay legal costs to the Pawlowskis on a matter that should never have proceeded as far as it did.”
Throughout the pandemic, Pawlowski continued to hold church services in defiance of a court order and was repeatedly arrested — including on the Calgary highway and on the tarmac of the Calgary International Airport.
During a 20-minute speech to Freedom Convoy truckers on February 3 in Coutts, Pawlowski urged demonstrators to “hold the line” against government overreach without resorting to violence. The truckers were protesting federal Covid-19 vaccine mandates, specifically a mandate that required cross-border truckers to be vaccinated. The group asked Pawlowski to preach while they protested along Alberta’s border with Montana.
Following his speech, the pastor was arrested on February 7 for the fifth time since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Fox News.
Before Calgary police apprehended him at his home, Pawlowski was planning to officiate another church service for the border protesters.
The Crown prosecutor argued that Pawlowski issued “an overt threat to violence,” an allegation echoed by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. According to a video of his remarks, the pastor repeatedly told the truckers not to resort to violence during their protests.
He was held in Calgary Remand Centre, where Pawlowski alleges he was treated poorly. He said he was placed in a small metal cage for a time, not given water for a whole day and deprived of both his glasses and a Bible for several days. He also claims he was strip-searched repeatedly, spent many hours in solitary confinement and was made to sleep on cold concrete.
Shortly before his release on bail, Pawlowski was transferred to Edmonton Remand Centre.. There he was placed in the psychiatric ward, where he claims he shared a cell with a paranoid schizophrenic who told him he had killed his own brother with a machete.
“I said, ‘Oh my God, please. While I’m sleeping, please protect me,'” Pawlowski said.
“But you know, I was able to minister to him and pray for him,” he recounted about his cellmate.
Pawlowski said he had no answer for the AHS worker who checked on him and asked why he was placed in the mental ward, despite having no mental illness diagnosis.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is ending its Covid-19 vaccine mandate, a newly leaked directive from Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre reveals.
Unvaccinated soldiers who were discharged from their position for refusing to comply with the mandate will be allowed to re-enroll into the military if they so wish.
According to Ottawa Citizen, the policy is expected to be unveiled sometime this summer, reversing the mandate introduced last fall.
New CAF members will no longer be required to be fully vaccinated, and current members will no longer have to reveal their vaccination status.
“Suspending the requirement for CAF members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will require significant administrative effort to address the files of members who were not compliant with the CDS directives on CAF COVID-19 vaccination,” the leaked directive states.
The move comes a month after the federal government lifted vaccine requirements for public service workers and RCMP officers.
In total, 434 unvaccinated members were subject to administrative reviews and, as exclusively reported by True North, were given an “unsuitable for further service” release.
Those facing unsuitable for further release were given a written warning, a grace period to reconsider their decision and finally be put through an administrative process which ultimately led to their dismissal.
Edmonton lawyer Catherine Christensen is currently representing nearly 300 unvaccinated CAF members ejected from their service. Claimants are seeking hundreds of millions in damages from the government.
“These people have lost income, promotions and pensions,” said Christensen. “These people being released are outstanding soldiers. It’s unbelievable the quality of the people the military is losing.”
According to Christensen, the CAF’s offer to re-enroll dismissed soldiers is “smoke and mirrors” because the decision ultimately lies with the Chief of Defence’s staff. She believes unvaccinated CAF members will unlikely be allowed back in the fold.
