Brian Giesbrecht: Draconian, Anti-Science Measures During the Pandemic Has Led to Loss of Trust in Our Institutions

Commentary Candida Auris is a fungus that, unlike most fungi, can survive in a human body. It is capable of spreading within the body, resulting in an agonizing death. For unknown reasons the fungus is spreading at a rather alarming rate. So far, cases have been confined to long term care facilities and hospitals. However, it is possible that the fungus will become more widespread in the general population. It is obvious that the public needs to know exactly how much of a threat the fungus poses. To that end, the public needs to have complete trust in the public health spokespersons, the medical establishment, and the media reporting on developments. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic I felt that I could trust our institutions to give me accurate and unbiased information on something like this fungus. Not anymore. That trust has been severely damaged by the way all three of those institutions handled the recent pandemic. I am not alone in feeling this way. I remember the day when I came to the full realization that I could not trust what I was being told about the COVID threat. I was at my summer place in a national park and went out for a hike. To my astonishment I discovered that all of the hiking trails had been closed. It was instantly clear to me, a non-scientist, that this made absolutely no sense. There was absolutely no science involved in the decision to close down outdoor hiking trails. The decision had obviously been made by some obscure civil servant—but with the full approval of their medical and political superiors. Not only was there no pushback to such an obviously ridiculous policy, political leaders—pushed by a strident media—demanded more of the same. And that’s what happened. In most places, children’s playgrounds were declared off-limits, we were forbidden to say goodbye to dying relatives, and churches were closed—even outdoor churches. In some places we couldn’t even walk our dogs in the evening. Civil liberties were completely disregarded, as government restrictions—cheered on by the medical establishment and mainstream media—became more and more unhinged. But when governments somehow decided that everyone absolutely must accept the brand new and untested vaccine, government overreach went into overdrive. By that time it was known that the vaccinated, just like the unvaccinated, could be infected. And that the vaccinated, as well as the unvaccinated, spread the disease. But for reasons that had nothing to do with science, the government decided that they would force everyone—even those who had recovered from the disease—to be vaccinated. Vaccine mandates were imposed that required compliance, or else termination from employment or other serious consequences. Canada became the only large country in the world where it was impossible to travel by airplane or train unless one was vaccinated. All of these draconian and anti-science measures imposed great hardships on many. Livelihoods were lost, desperate situations were created, with an unwell or dying family member unable to get help from family members who lived far away. Those without the thousands of dollars needed for the prohibitively expensive quarantine hotels were stranded overseas for months, or even years. This reckless and cruel government overreach hit its culmination point when the entirely unnecessary vaccine mandate was imposed on truckers who drove into the United States. Many of those truckers had recently recovered from COVID-19 infection. Some had experienced bad reactions to the first vaccine dose, and were legitimately afraid of another adverse reaction—or worse—if they got the second dose. Forced vaccination on such people creates a definite health risk, and can only be described as medical barbarism. Nevertheless, the federal government insisted on proceeding with the vaccine mandate. What the government did to truckers and supporters in the ensuing protest is well known and doesn’t need repetition here. Suffice it to say that this federal government treated its own citizens in an entirely disgraceful manner never seen before in a liberal democracy. Neither the federal government or any of the provincial governments have apologized for their abuse of the citizenry during the pandemic. In fact, some political leaders have bragged about their actions, with claims that they “saved thousands of lives.” One only has to look at poorer countries that did none of these things, but had the same death numbers as lockdown countries, to know that they are not telling the truth. So, here we are. Candida Auris. Is it a real threat or not? I will certainly try to inform myself about it. But I no longer trust our institutions to do so. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.