Some high-ranking Ontario politicians and prominent healthcare organizations are issuing warnings ahead of a number of protests expected to take place at hospitals across Canada on Monday.
An organization calling itself Canadian Frontline Nurses posted notices of “silent vigils” expected to take place in all 10 provinces, according to CBC Canada. The group is claiming the protests are meant “to critique public health measures put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.”
However, the National Post is a bit blunter, describing the cross-country protests as “rejecting vaccine passports and COVID-19 public health measures.”
The organizers of the protests, being held from Victoria to St. Johns, claim they are taking a stand against what they call “tyrannical measures and government overreach,” adding that they are not encouraging nurses to walk out on their shifts or abandon patients, reports Global News Canada.
What is really interesting about this story is the identities of two of the group’s organizers. Kristen Nagle and Sarah Choujounian – both are nurses from Ontario and have been active in the protests against public-health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.
The two nurses were also present at the rally in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, the same day that pro-Donald Trump agitators stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to keep Congress from certifying the Electoral College votes.
In November 2020, Kristen Nagle was charged with organizing rallies in violation of Ontario’s public health measures. She was, according to news reports at the time, put on paid leave from her job at the London Health Sciences Centre for actions “not aligned” with her employer’s values. An investigation into her conduct wrapped up by mid-January 2021, and she was fired.
“Kristen is passionate about children’s health and empowering families to trust their bodies and immune systems, to support and not suppress symptoms, and to live a more natural life in harmony with the Earth with full-body sovereignty,” says her bio on the group’s website.
Choujounian was the founder of Nurses Against Lockdowns, which has since merged with Canadian Frontline Nurses. She has, according to her bio on the group’s website, been fired from both her nursing jobs in Ontario.
Choujounian and Nagle are also both under investigation by the College of Nurses of Ontario for their conduct. The college did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.