Covid Inquiry and WHO Pandemic X Treaty | What Will It Mean for Canada?
Post 29 | Will we be ready, and in control of our next emergency?
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”, is a well worn but accurate saying attributed to Spanish Philosopher George Santayana.
It is particularly noteworthy as Canada lives through a period where even well documented history is being revised or forgotten. And reminds us of the need to carefully record, analyze and learn lessons from the past to inform future events.
COVID led to more than 53,000 deaths in Canada, slotting us in the top 30% per capita mortality worldwide. This was despite a compliant population who agreed to severe restrictions and boasted one of the world’s highest vaccination rates.
The pandemic tested us in ways we could never have imagined - politically, societally and economically - while pressuring our teetering healthcare system. Our governments mandated vaccines, restricted our movement, shut schools, chose which businesses could remain open and spent us into historic debt.
In July 2023, The British Medical Journal (BMJ) published a series of articles examining Canada’s Covid response covering topics such as data sharing and access, jurisdictional coordination, vaccine deployment including global vaccine equity, and impact on vulnerable populations. Their analysis and conclusions were harsh as they highlighted the fragility of our healthcare system, poor federal/provincial communication, lagging research, data management holes, and vaccine hoarding.
In other words, Canadians delivered on the pandemic response while its governments faltered. [British Medical Journal]
The National Citizens Inquiry, a citizen-led and citizen-funded effort to examine Canada’s Covid response released a massive Commissioners Report of findings and recommendations in November 2023 after extensive cross country testimony gathering over several months. In it they document dozens of recommendations in five categories - Civil, Social Impacts, Economic Impacts, Media and Health.
Yet after emerging from three unprecedented years neither our federal government nor any but one province have conducted a postmortem analysis, held inquiries or communicated that we are better prepared for a next health emergency.
Federal and provincial governments should have already conducted a thorough review into key areas of how they handled the crisis. But it astoundingly seems all the decisions and missteps from this generational event will be swept under the rug. Calls for a national inquiry since 2021 have gone unheeded other than a throwaway response from the Trudeau government that it will be conducted “at the appropriate time” - now highly unlikely before the next election in November 2025.
Ten Areas for Scrutiny
Based on data from Statista nearly 80% of Covid deaths in Canada were aged 70+, with almost 58% in the 80+ cohort, and less than 1% under the age of 29. Yet we shut down schools and forced remote learning for months with yet-to-be-discovered ramifications. And we deployed virtually no preventative treatments for our high risk elderly populations as we housed them to die alone, while awaiting silver bullet vaccines - shamefully resulting in some of the worst global statistics in this category. Was it problems with data or process that drove these mistaken policies, as we damaged our children in a desire to protect them and sentenced our elderly to death under the guise of sheltering them? What do we fix in our decision making to avoid such catastrophic choices in the future?
What data and processes were behind the decisions to allow select large retailers and liquor stores to remain open while crushing hundreds of thousands of small businesses under the weight of shutdowns? With the benefit of hindsight data, what would have been preferred choices that balanced health outcomes against economic stability and freedom of movement?
Our public health agencies ignored, downplayed or disallowed the use of much existing pharmacopeia. Yet in well-studied reports now available, the use of existing off label drugs and supplements had a strong impact on tamping down and skirting the worst effects of the pandemic in multiple global jurisdictions. What analysis can be done to understand the optional prevention and treatment protocols that could have been used versus focusing all efforts on vaccines? In the future, how can we better connect and empower our front-line physicians with working solutions and encourage bottom-up clinical contributions to health policies?
Canada massively overbought vaccines, overpaid by up to 40% more than other countries and has wasted at least 20 million expired doses at a cost of more than $700 million – per StatsCan data. Not only is this an egregious waste of money but stained Canada’s reputation as we were labeled a hoarder instead of sharing with the world. What national production capacity, supply and procurement lessons have we learned to be applied in the future?
Our federal Public Health Agency (PHAC) was founded in 2004 as an outcome of the SARS health epidemic - to be a national coordinating body for public health, emergency preparedness and response, along with infectious and chronic disease control and prevention. Yet their leadership and coordination failed badly as federal and provincial jurisdictions applied conflicting rules around school closures, masking, vaccine mandates, freedom of movement and lockdowns. Communication, information and data gathering/reporting was likewise fragmented with considerably different provincial hospitalization and mortality rates. Meanwhile, thousands have suffered harms from the vaccines themselves but left adrift in seeking answers and treatment as PHAC has not taken lead or responsibility. What is being done to clarify PHAC’s roles, tools and liabilities in a future event and to develop practical guidelines for coordination of best practices while respecting provincial autonomy? What is PHAC’s value despite their sweeping portfolio and 4200 employees?
The Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN) is Canada’s previously well respected early warning system for global public health threats, reporting to PHAC. A July 2021 independent report examined the problems leading to the failure of their core mandate - to alert of an event such as Covid. What has since been done to fix the identified issues including lack of funding, poorly coordinated surveillance and a two-year vacancy in the critical position of Chief Health Surveillance Officer?
What national capacity does Canada have to rely on our own epidemiologic research, develop a national pharmacopeia strategy and drive critical healthcare policy decisions independent of the World Health Organization (WHO) and US Centre for Disease Control (CDC)? And what is the level of importance we place on creating sovereign capacity for made-in-Canada decisions and solutions while still participating in global bodies?
Has the National Emergency Strategic Stockpile (NESS) been stocked with proper medical supplies and improved its governance - particularly in light of the 2021 findings from the Auditor General declaring this PHAC organization was poorly prepared, which drove much of Canada’s personal protective equipment (PPE) frenzy?
Our politicians were often too eager to surrender fundamental decisions about lockdowns, masking and vaccines to our unelected public agencies. We elect political leaders to make decisions that consider all factors - in this case to balance possible health outcomes with economic, societal and constitutional factors. While reasonable on its face, follow the science became a cop out rather than a guiding principle in many cases. Alberta’s post-Covid report led by Preston Manning provides an example of a modified approach in this area recommending that emergency management agencies should lead over the health department and that economic impact assessments be completed for any health policy. Exploring the relationship and responsibilities between public health and elected officials must be a highlight of any proper examination.
Given that a fundamental reason for lockdowns was apparently to ease pressure on our fragile healthcare systems, what are we doing provincially and federally to bolster critical areas that will enable a better future pandemic response? Why are we diverting our attention and spending billions on free dental care and universal pharmacare when we haven’t addressed the fundamental healthcare infrastructure issues that will again rupture in a next health event? This is possibly the most fundamental area to tackle as it was the core reason given for almost all the restrictive policies handed down.
These are just some of the countless questions to be asked and for us to hear updates.
But in absence of our federal and provincial governments conducting a thorough postmortem on what worked, where we erred and developing strong strategies and tactical plans, we are doomed to again trip over our own feet in the next health emergency.
Nature abhors a vacuum…
World Health Organization filling the vacuum
By May of this year, Canadians will become familiar with a global Pandemic Agreement our country is set to sign. The WHO has been working with member states on this agreement (it has been alternatively referred to as a treaty, convention, instrument and accord) in preparation for what they call Disease X – a placeholder for a future pandemic. And it may have significant impacts on Canada’s choices and rights in a next health crisis.
The WHO came under heavy criticism for its handling of Covid most notably its slow initial pandemic call, solicitousness of China, and over reliance on vaccines as the silver bullet. For an organization with a stated mandate to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable, only the kindest critics would give them a passing grade for their handling of Covid. The resulting reputational hit and distrust of the WHO will resonate for some time.
Yet if we believe in the value of a global body to provide advance detection of major health threats, share knowledge and help coordinate a response, then bolstering their governance and strategies should be encouraged. So, I applaud the WHO’s ongoing effort since 2021 to better plan for a future event. But as in all things, the devil is in the details and we have no visibility into what this will mean for us, targeted for ratification by May 2024.
Conservative MP
(Haldimand-Norfolk) has been following this important file despite radio silence from our government and little coverage by the press. Lewis’ website provides a well laid out explanation of the background, current state, Canada’s position and credible concerns about what control could be ceded to the WHO in areas of pandemic definition and in the mandates and measures to be taken. https://leslynlewismp.ca/2024/01/17/the-who-pandemic-treaty/An October draft of the agreement is available online. Pandemic Agreement Draft October 2023. Read broadly it seems a worthy and necessary undertaking, and its absence in a future pandemic would be roundly criticized. But Canada’s lack of parliamentary and media scrutiny is a problem – particularly since our current government sports a terrible record of protecting Canada’s sovereignty or considering unintended consequences of their decisions and policies.
The WHO’s pursuit of global cooperation is laudable, yet various areas of the text cause me concern based on a cursory review. And a recent quote about the agreement by the Director General of the WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus particularly perked up my ears when he stated, “This is a common global interest, and very narrow national interests should not come into the way.”
Perhaps this was just poor phraseology but it could be interpreted that, at least in spirit, national interests will be subservient to a common global interest. That sets off some alarm bells.
The reality is most Canadians will learn of this agreement only after it has been signed and won’t truly understand its impact unless/until another event occurs. We can only hope our national rights will not be unduly compromised, though I regrettably have little faith in our current government to protect us.
But let’s generously assume there is a need for a global agreement, that it will be beneficial and that our national rights will be inviolate. We still do not have a bead on how to better manage ourselves in a next health emergency. And without a proper analysis and lessons learned we will again be flying blind.
I’ll give Ms. Lewis the final word as it is well stated on her website.
Canada must be careful to not sign anything that could give away our sovereignty on health care, even if there is tremendous international pressure to do so for the sake of pandemic preparedness. It also does not make sense for this government to sign onto a legally binding treaty governing future pandemic response when Canada still has not had a national inquiry into our pandemic policies and outcomes. In essence, we can’t prepare for the future when we haven’t learned the lessons from the past.
Furthermore, if the government fails to be transparent with Canadians as it ratifies a far-reaching expansion to WHO jurisdiction and powers, it will undermine the democratic rights of Canadians to determine their own governance. While there has been some stakeholder consultation to date, there has been very little public awareness and engagement regarding this unprecedented treaty, and no parliamentary scrutiny.
Stay tuned and stay pragmatic.
The Liberal government has stated its support for a legally binding treaty with WHO.
This will effectively surrender Canadians' National Sovereignty to Globalist powers which is a betrayal of Canadian citizens. Be very concerned!
Justin Trudeau has repeatedly shown that his priorities are with the World Economic Forum (WEF) where his loyalty and affiliations lie, and not Canadian citizens.
As always, excellent factual information!
Canadians should in No Way surrender our National Sovereignty to a Globalist entity.
Your link to MP Leslyn Lewis is a good one. (Lewis has a Master of Environmental Studies, concentration in Business and Environment from the Schulich School of Business, as well as a Law degree and PhD in International Law from Osgoode Hall Law School.) She has stated that "government should exist to serve the citizens and not the other way around".
Another interesting link follows
https://twitter.com/lawrie_dr/status/1723397004909244837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1723397004909244837%7Ctwgr%5Ef563231f6d34e541b70ddf87edeb525c1c9109ef%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthecountersignal.com%2Fwho-urges-member-states-to-finalize-pandemic-treaty-asks-for-more-money%2F