Message of Division Persists

By Nadine Wilson MLA
Saskatchewan Rivers Constituency

Last September I chose to sit as an Independent because the governing party was taking decisions that I believe were divisive and detrimental to the citizens of Saskatchewan. In fact, Premier Scott Moe on September 16th, 2021 announced to the public that “The time for patience is over”, citing unvaccinated people as the reason why the Covid -19 virus continued in Saskatchewan, thus demonizing people who believe in the right to body autonomy, or had other reasons not to ‘take the jab’.

In that announcement, Premier Moe declared the government would ‘create consequences’ and make it ‘less comfortable’ for people to remain unvaccinated. True to his word, his government did this by restricting what activities vaccine-free people could participate in, including whether they could keep their jobs. The medical system began denying health procedures to people unless they complied. He even introduced vaccine passports after he and Dr. Shahab stated earlier in the summer that this would not happen.

Premier Moe did not seem to care that there were thousands of people who had legitimate health considerations or that taking the vaccine would violate their conscience. He knew, or should have known, that doctors were almost never giving out exemptions, arguably in fear of being sanctioned by their governing bodies. There was virtually no discussion about adverse health effects, which by that time, many people were reporting anecdotally and trying to officially report. Later on, based on the number of people who contacted my office, it has become clear to me that doctors also seem to fear sanctions for reporting adverse effects.

Laying blame at the feet of vaccine-free people was picked up quickly by the media, then made it’s rounds on social media. Employers and unions jumped on board, imposing new employment conditions on highly qualified long-term employees with the threat of job-loss for non-compliance. Suddenly, being unvaccinated for any reason made a person a pariah of society. An uncaring, selfish usurper of tax-paid health services. (Shall we go down the road of health care availability for those who smoke, use illegal substances, over-eat, have poor diets, over-drink alcohol, are sedentary or participate in extreme sports?)

A few weeks later, it seemed the Premier began to understand just how much his approach had divided the people of this province. Lifelong friends, family members, co-workers and acquaintances were now deciding who they would associate with by vaccination status. Christmas for some meant being shunned. In early December of 2021, the premier seemed to soften his approach when he tried to call for “an end to the stigmatization of those who remain unvaccinated.”

Unfortunately, the damage had been done, and the call to ‘unstigmatize’ was not supported with any action to reduce the societal impact. We still have vaccine passports. People did not get their jobs back. People are still not allowed into certain private and public places unless they can show they are among ‘the approved’ by revealing their vaccine status.

The great irony now is that we have abundant proof that the vaccinated can easily spread the virus. Just ask the thousands of completely vaccinated guests and staff on 86 cruise ships that have had outbreaks. Or ask the completely vaccinated players, coaches, staff and volunteers of the 2022 World Junior’s whose tournament was cancelled due to Covid outbreaks.

In spite of this, the policies which created the damage and stigmatization continue. As well, there is a hangover effect that in our digital age, permeates our culture.

Case in point. A video released Nov 25, 2021 by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), has Medical Health Officer Dr. Tania Diener counselling a young girl from Regina who askes, “What if my friends don’t get the vaccine? Can I still play with them?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foSE8dZHayM

Dr. Diener’s response creates the same stigmatization among our children that the Premier created in September. Dr. Diener does not ever tell the girl she can play with the unvaccinated. Instead, she coaches the girl to put pressure on her friends. It’s easy to figure out how this will play out in a classroom setting with the vaccinated children shunning the so-called unvaccinated.

If the Premier is serious about healing our province, perhaps he can ask the SHA to take down that video and review it’s messaging to make sure it isn’t divisive to children or adults.

Then he could remove the vaccine passport system. He could give people in the public service their jobs back regardless of vaccine status and encourage private employers to do the same. He could encourage all of us to continue with good health practices individually, and to practice safe hygiene publicly.

These things are the least that he could do.

www.nadinewilson.ca
saskrivers@sasktel.net
306-763-0615

Power of Peace

by Nadine Wilson MLA
Saskatchewan Rivers

For millennia humankind has desired peace upon the earth.

We have looked to kings, politicians, spiritual leaders, even cried out to the heavens above, and prayed for peace. We long for a unity in which all of us can live an abundant life.

But the very act of living means that each of us will face, in some form or other, challenges and problems. Some we create ourselves. Others come from circumstances beyond our control.

The longer one lives, the more we know with certainty that life is about managing the problems and challenges that present to us. Often we have no control over the circumstance.

We only control one thing, and that is, how we respond. Especially, as is almost always the case, how do we respond to the other people who may be involved in the circumstance?

What kind of action, or non-action do we take? Do we use words of anger, aggression and coercion to try to manipulate the situation? Or do we draw from a well of compassion, kindness and love, respecting that others may not see the circumstance the way we do?

Whichever way we choose, always has a ripple effect on others, whether our family, friends, colleagues, even to those in leadership.

Today, we find ourselves in uncertain times, with almost everyone facing fear for their future. All of us have heard conflicting information and have formed different opinions on how to manage. We have created a conversation that has torn the very fabric of who we are.

Everyone, has a deep-seated belief about what is the right path forward. So deep, some have cut family and friends out of their lives. So deep, some have sacrificed their careers. So deep, some have submitted themselves so the rest of their family doesn’t have to.

This Christmas season, a time when many people take time to reflect, can become a perfect time to begin to heal the rifts and resolve to create peace between us. Peace between our family members, colleagues and friends we may have pushed away. It is a time when we can look deep within our own hearts for the light of love through which we can still care for each other, even when we don’t fully agree.

This season I wish for everyone a time of great love and compassion. Let us do what we can to bring joy into each other’s lives and build unity. This is a power each of us holds within ourselves to do.

www.nadinewilson.ca
saskrivers@sasktel.net
306-763-0615

Designated Responder

By Nadine Wilson MLA
Saskatchewan Rivers Constituency

In this session of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly, it has become clear that only one member of the House will respond to the questions I pose verbally to the government. Whether on Health, Justice or Corrections, the Minister of Finance is apparently the designated responder for all things.

Curiously, on November 30th when I asked a financial question about the costs of the Secure Isolation Sites, the Finance Minister had no answer. (Even though funding of the sites appears to be complete since, according to the government, the site(s) are no longer operational.) Apparently, it won’t be until budget deliberations that she, as Finance Minister, will know how much of taxpayers’ money it took to fund the site(s).

When I asked about whether the citizens of Saskatchewan are protected under the medical and legal ethics of expressed, informed consent and are entitled to the full protection guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights and the Nuremberg Code, the Minister of Finance brought up my previous travel record.

The minister said she would love to hear my explanation of why it was acceptable for me to previously disclose my status when entering another country, and not now. I would have thought this to be self-evident.

Clearly, she does not see the difference between the processes of traveling with voluntary disclosure, to what we are now facing in Saskatchewan which is coerced, mandatory disclosure.

Coerced mandatory disclosure to hold a job. Coerced mandatory disclosure to visit health and public facilities that all Saskatchewan people pay for. Coerced mandatory disclosure to obtain a post-secondary education. Can the difference be any clearer?

Her answer was a straw-man approach to my actual question to the Justice Minister regarding brand new legislation that will protect employers from liability if the employer implements coercive employment terms.

My actual question was: “On what basis is this legislation (Bill 60) that allows an employer to terminate an employee for not getting a COVID-19 shot? If an employer does so, they are inviting a wrongful dismissal claim as well as a claim for a human rights code violation. Does the Minister of Justice protect the rights of all individuals in Saskatchewan? Does he want the province unified again? Will he stand and fight for this province’s freedom, strong and free? ”

The minister also misused another of my questions about whether the government is committed to individual constitutional rights. In response, she proudly referred to a recent resolution requesting a constitutional amendment to resolve taxation issues concerning CP Rail. While that is a worthy endeavor, it has nothing to do with the failure of the Saskatchewan government to protect the rights of its own citizens.

Within the government narrative is an assumption that the mandated injections, (which require an emergency order for their use until 2023,) are on an equal footing with traditional vaccines. Anyone who disagrees, even medical professionals with stellar credentials, are dismissed without even an honest evaluation of why they hold their opinions. I have said before, truth can bear scrutiny. Saskatchewan people deserve a government that is willing to fairly assess information from many credible sources, not just that which fits a canned narrative. Saskatchewan people deserve a government that will listen to them, not coerce them.

Going forward, I hope the Ministers charged with the duty to justify government actions and legislation, will have the courage to address these questions themselves and leave the straw-men behind.

To read the Hansard transcript scroll down at https://nadinewilson.ca/?p=508

#NadineWilson #RightToKnow #secureisolationsite #saskatchewan #publichealth #ConstitutionalRights

www.nadinewilson.ca
saskrivers@sasktel.net
306-763-0615