Canada’s vaccine mandates are discriminatory.

Canada is the only country in the world that does not allow it's unvaccinated population to:

• Travel within Canada on a train or a plane
• Leave Canada
• Work many jobs

Now, on the surface this seems ok because we also once supported the mandates and are very much pro vaccine!

But after getting contacted by many Canadians from all over we dug in a bit more and what we found was quite disturbing:

• The least vaccinated groups in Canada are the marginalized communities like the black and Indigenous

• The last stats show the black population is 20% less vaccinated than the white population
• Canada used to test vaccines on Indigenous children at residential school. A big reason for the hesitancy in these populations is from poor government treatment going back generations.
• There are about 5 million unvaccinated Canadians

So anytime they implement vaccine mandates they are knowingly and willingly excluding a large chunk of our minority and marginalized groups from participating in those activities with no scientific bases.

In early 2021 Justin Trudeau said Vaccine mandates 'Are extreme measures that could have real divisive impacts' in Canada. 'There are a broad range of reasons why someone might not get vaccinated' (link)

So what changed?

Now he calls those people "misogynists" and "racists" and asks the country if we should tolerate them (link)

Why are we now using vaccine mandates to divide millions of Canadians and cause unnecessary problems in our country?

Getting more people vaccinated is a noble goal. But, we question if forcing these already vulnerable communities to get something they are hesitant to is the best idea. There must be more sensible ways to go about this in our opinion that doesn't continue to harm the trust of millions of Canadians.

We worry what affect making it harder for millions of Canadians to work or travel will have. Especially those from already vulnerable communities.

After years of mistreatment from the government these communities have lost faith in the government. Indigenous children were used as vaccine test subjects in the past. Is there really a surprise they are hesitant to get a vaccine now?

We are a left leaning group that fights for equality for all Canadians. We have fought for women's right to choose over abortion rights. We have joined alongside BLM to fight for equality for all people of color. We have fought for clean drinking water in the Indigenous communities.

We will stand up for any marginalized group that needs their voice amplified. We don’t take stances AGAINST groups, instead we stand up FOR people.

Unfortunately, we failed in this regard when it came to vaccine mandates.

You see, up until recently we were in favor the vaccine mandates.

Now, we want to be clear: We are still pro-vaccines. In our opinion the science is strong that they are effective and safe. We also believe the science shows there are risks when taking vaccines - small, but still present. Yet, forcing people to get something they do not want is not the only solution and creates more problems in the long run.

Anyone - vaccinated or not - can get and spread Covid. People with 2 boosters are still getting Covid

Some more facts: (more here)

• Canada has a 85.7% vaccination rate (link)
• Vaccinated and unvaccinated people can catch Covid-19
• Vaccinated and unvaccinated people can spread Covid-19 (link)
• There are ~5 million unvaccinated Canadians (link)
• Vaccine effectiveness lasts ~4 months. So if you got vaccinated more than 4 months ago you are essentially no different than an unvaccinated person (link)
• Vaccine effectiveness against Omicron is perhaps even less effective (link)
• Black and Indigenous populations in Canada are the least vaccinated (link, link).
• The black population is 20% less vaccinated than the white at the last time of polling (link)
• A big reason is because of a deep distrust of the government in these communities. The government has treated them poorly for generations
• remember the school burials of the Indigenous?
• they used to test vaccines on Indigenous kids (link, link, link, link, link)
• Canada was even sued over years of alleged experimentation on Indigenous people (link)
• Minorities and marginalized communities are inadvertently affected by vaccine mandates (link)
• The UN Rights Chief has said ‘under no circumstances is forced vaccination ok” (link)
• There are studies suggesting vaccine mandates are ineffective (link, link)
• Black Lives Matter leader in NYC has called vaccine mandates “RACIST AND DISRESPECTFUL” (link)
• Voter ID laws are claimed to be racist because they inadvertently target minorities. Vaccine mandates operate the same. 
• The Globe and Mail has said the logic for travel vaccine mandates no longer holds (link)

We feel angry and disappointed that our own government and media tricked us into pitting one group of people against another for no reason. I understand we all wanted to get out of the pandemic, and having a scapegoat helped us because there was someone to blame. But the science never supported that. We are one of the most vaccinated countries. Covid is endemic. The divisive rhetoric we saw from our Prime Minister, Media and each other was never necessary. But it's time to recognize it and move on together.

We are also disappointed in ourselves for going along with these unjust laws for so long.

We are also disappointed with how we treated people that made a different decisions without even asking why.

Thankfully we still have a chance to do the right thing. And you do too.

We are asking the government of Canada, provincial leaders and media to:

1. End all federal and provincial Covid-19 vaccination mandates. We are the only country and the science does not support them. It's time to let people see their family/friends and get back to work to provide for their family and to heal.
2. End all discriminatory and hateful rhetoric around who is or isn't vaccinated and stop using our differences as a tool to divide us. Millions of Canadians are not "racists" or "misogynists" because they question the government.

Please, join us and help us make some noise until the vaccine mandates are lifted.

Canada’s greatest strength is our diversity.

We should CELEBRATE our diversity. Not CONDEMN it.

Unity through diversity is what Canada needs right now.

Instead of being angry at our friends, family, neighbour's and fellow Canadians we need to demand more from our leaders and media.

They have pitted us against each other while they:

• Fail to provide the reserves with clean drinking water
• Drive up the prices of everything from food, housing and gas
• Made millions of dollars off of Canadians throughout the pandemic while we all suffered
• Created one of the most divided Canadas many of us have ever seen
• Shut down hard working Canadians businesses while letting large corporation's rake in millions. 
• Didn't let people say goodbye to their dying loved ones
• Delayed or canceled people's critical surgeries or other medical appointments
• Sat idly by while people fell into depression, drug addiction, anxiety, suicide and otherwise destroyed peoples mental health from the unnecessary isolation caused by the governments response to Covid
• Forced our kids to wear masks and separated them from much needed education and human connection without any strong scientific evidence to support that those actions would help

Canada deserves better.

Finally, what we are asking from our fellow Canadian citizens is to:

1. Sign this petition
2. Go to https://endvaccinemandates.org and click all the buttons to help spread the message!
3. Share this petition and the site with 3 friends!
4. Spend more time listening to people. Especially to those you think you disagree with. Maybe that was even an old friend or family member you cut off because they didn't get the vaccine? We all got caught up in the heat of the moment, but it's not too late to love again =)

 

Thank you, we love you ❤️

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.”

― John G. Diefenbaker