The Citizens’ Hearing took place from June 22nd to 24th, 2022 in Toronto, Canada, and marked the launch of an historic documentation of Canadians negatively impacted by government responses to COVID-19.
During the course of the 3-day event, we heard from families who lost cherished loved ones, students who were faced with the excruciating decision to give up their dream of completing their education or take an injection that they wholeheartedly disagreed with, business owners who lost everything, professionals that were forced to make career-ending decisions, and experts that confirmed that the government had other options and tools at their disposal that did not get utilized during the course of this crisis.
The Citizens’ Hearing is the starting point for a process that seeks to:
- Bring to light the ongoing harms that Canadians are experiencing due to government actions and inactions
- Give a voice to those that feel their cries for help are falling on deaf ears
- Receive scientific, medical and legal testimony as to alternative approaches that were ignored or even banned, which might have been pursued
- Create open and transparent dialogue and consultation with a cross-section of stakeholders
- Generate recommendations to ensure that Canadians never again experience the degree of loss, trauma, and disruption caused by the official response to COVID-19.
As you navigate through the heart-wrenching testimonies from the 3 days, we encourage you to consider the decisions you might have made, were you in these individuals’ shoes. How different would your life be, if you would have been confronted by their situations and had to face the challenges each of them faced as a result of their choices?
Visit citizenshearing.ca for videos of the hearings.
