Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said a few weeks ago that the “time for patience is over”, concerning people who don’t want to be coerced into taking an experimental concoction. The obvious question: why is the time for patience over? Whatever happened to bodily autonomy? Is this what Moe really believes, or is it what he has been instructed to say?
Moe also scoffed at the idea that he’s being paid off by vaccine manufacturers to push his policies. That said, who is influencing him and his Government? Is this site to be considered nonsense?
Welcome to our continuing series on who’s pulling the strings of influential politicians. Previously, Elizabeth May, Erin O’Toole, Michelle Rempel, Steven Guilbeault (Part 1 and Part 2), Doug Ford (many times), Rankin & Strang and Jason Kenney were covered.
Moe seems like a friendly enough person. Let’s see who he and his Government have been talking to as of late. Search the terms “pharma” or “vaccine” in the Saskatchewan Lobbyist Registry, out comes a number of active registrations. A lot of these names should be familiar.
| Company |
Lobbyist |
Active Since |
| AbbVie Corporation |
Joel Peterson |
2021-08-30 |
| AbbVie Corporation |
Tracey Ramsay |
2021-09-01 |
| AstraZeneca Canada Inc |
Kiersten Combs |
2021-09-01 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim |
Andrea Sambati |
2021-09-01 |
| Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association Inc. |
Stephen Frank |
2021-09-01 |
| Canadian Medical Association |
Tim Smith |
2021-08-23 |
| Eli Lilly Canada Inc. |
Rhonda Pacheco |
2021-03-01 |
| GlaxoSmithKline Inc. |
Faris El Refaie |
2021-08-23 |
| Hoffman-La Roche |
Ronnie Miller |
2021-09-24 |
| Innovative Medicines Canada |
Pamela Fralick |
2021-07-29 |
| Janssen Inc. |
Jorge Bartolome |
2020-11-10 |
| McKesson Canada |
Rebecca McKillican |
2021-02-15 |
| Merck Canada Inc. |
Jennifer Chan |
2021-07-23 |
| Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada |
Sandra Hanna |
2020-10-15 |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals |
Christian Macher |
2021-06-18 |
| Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. |
Beatrice Clerc |
2020-12-07 |
| Organon Canada Inc. |
Michael Casia |
2021-06-03 |
| Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan |
Virginia Wilkinson |
2021-07-28 |
| Purdue Pharma |
David Pidduck |
2021-05-27 |
| Sanofi Pasteur Limited |
Erin Iverson |
2021-09-03 |
| Saskatchewan Medical Association |
Bonnie Brossart |
2021-06-01 |
| Shoppers Drug Mart |
Erika Barootes |
2021-03-01 |
| Takeda Canada Inc. |
Rute Fernandes |
2021-09-24 |
| Vertex Pharmaceuticals |
Dennis Chan |
2021-01-01 |
| VIDO-InterVac |
Douglas B. Richardson |
2021-04-19 |
Keep in mind, these are only ACTIVE registrations, and don’t include the vast amount of expired ones. It seems that the pharmaceutical industry has a strong interest in Saskatchewan. This seems strange, as Moe assures us that he isn’t paid off by drug makers.
1. Canadian Medical Association, Tim Smith
Tim Smith is the CEO of the Canadian Medical Association. Now, what does the CMA support? They are on record as supporting vaccine passports, and other medical tyranny measures.
1. The CMA supports the development of a pan-Canadian vaccine certificate program for domestic purposes in some circumstances, in addition to the establishment of a vaccine passport system to support international travel, led by the federal government. Recognizing the potential for an emerging patchwork of approaches, the CMA calls on federal and provincial/territorial governments to ensure interoperability of vaccine certificate programs, including tools and systems, across all jurisdictions within Canada. Interoperability of vaccine certificate programs will ensure people in Canada do not experience mobility barriers and associated unintended, negative consequences.
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2. The CMA recognizes that vaccine certificatesa could be a valuable tool in some circumstances to complement public health. Reasons for implementation include facilitating access to one’s digital immunization records, supporting re-opening, reducing the need for more restrictive public health measures (e.g., lockdowns), managing risk of transmission in discretionary and non-discretionary settings, and protecting those at high risk of infection and at high risk of severe illness or death resulting from COVID-19.
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3. Based on the evolution of the pandemic, it would be prudent to implement a vaccine certificate program to reduce the need for continued more restrictive public health measures and manage risk of transmission in discretionary and non-discretionary settings. It is imperative that any vaccine certificate program meets key ethical, legal, and scientific standards.
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4. Where they are introduced, it is in the public interest for governments to develop clear and consistent standards for vaccine certification to ensure that they are legitimate, meet public health objectives, respect equity and non-discrimination, and protect privacy.
In short, the CMA supports a national (and international) vaccine passport system in order to — in their words — reduce the need for more lockdown measures. Is this really about health and safety?
2. GlaxoSmithKline, Faris El Refaie, Hal Danchilla
Almost every political event in Alberta over the last 30 years has been shaped, advised, managed, directed, or informed by Hal. He has managed and advised leadership and election campaigns at all levels of government.
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Most notably, Hal served as a political advisor during the Klein administration, provided strategic advice to Stephen Mandel’s successful underdog campaign to become Mayor of Edmonton and, along with Jason Kenney, chaired and managed the leadership and national campaign for Stockwell Day and the Canadian Alliance. Recently, Hal has become a trusted advisor and campaign strategist for now Premier Kenney.
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Since 1998, Hal has delivered results to clients, not just in government relations, but in strategic and crisis communications, negotiations, advocacy and influencing public opinion.
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Hal has led many challenging projects, including the reclamation of contaminated sites, forming new industry associations, securing access for rare pharmaceuticals and guiding professional compensation strategies.
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Hal is a frequent media commentator and panellist, executive and board speaker, and guest lecturer at the University of Alberta
It was mentioned in the last piece how Hal Danchilla was a longtime political operative, and helped install Jason Kenney as Alberta Premier. Seems he has operated in Saskatchewan on behalf of GlaxoSmithKline as well. As for Refaie, he’s the President and General Manager of GSK.
As a side note: Amber Ruddy, the Secretary of the National Council of the Conservative Party of Canada, also used to be a lobbyist for GSK.
3. McKesson Canada, Rebecca McKillican
Rebecca McKillican is the CEO of McKesson Canada. Interesting, and so is her past. This includes being a Director at the National Bank of Canada, and a business analyst for McKinsey and Company.
4. Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada, Sandra Hanna
Sandra Hanna has been with Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada for close to 4 years, according to her LinkedIn profile. Curiously, she has a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Toronto. The Association has quite the interesting list of partners and members.
The Association was very interested in the recent Federal election, to put it mildly. They even released their own “toolkit” for how to influence the role of pharmacy.
5. Pharmacy Association Of Saskatchewan, Virginia Wilkinson
Virginia Wilkinson runs her own lobbying and consulting firm, and is the Interim CEO of the Pharmacy Association Of Saskatchewan. That’s no conflict of interest of course. Nor are her years working for CTV and other mainstream media, or working in the Saskatchewan Government.
This should surprise no one, but the Pharmacy Association has also gone on record as supporting increased lockdown measures. Freedom is so dangerous to public health.
6. Saskatchewan Medical Association, Bonnie Brossart
Bonnie Brossart has headed the Saskatchewan Medical Association for nearly 7 years. While this may seem ancient, she actually spent 2 years working for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health in the 1990s. Now, what does the SMA actually want?
News release: Saskatchewan’s physicians and nurses join to demand increased health measures to combat the pandemic
The Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) and the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) are demanding stronger action by the provincial government to blunt the fourth wave of the pandemic.
As record-high COVID-19 case numbers exhaust health-care workers and strain hospital capacity to the limits, the SMA and SUN are imploring the government to enact the following three measures:
(1) A reinstatement of limits on indoor gatherings for both private and public events.
(2) Daily, community-level public reporting that indicates percentage of population who are partially and fully vaccinated by age groups as well as case counts, hospitalizations and ICU admissions.
(3) Sufficient contact tracing with appropriately trained staff to ensure rapid case detection and to limit community spread. Too much of this critical function is being left in the hands of those who test positive for COVID-19.
SMA president Dr. Eben Strydom said reinstating gathering limits on indoor private functions and community events will help to mitigate the fourth wave of the pandemic.
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“Mask mandates and vaccination requirements are essential but are not enough against the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant,” he said. “With the approach of colder weather, gatherings will move indoors, creating the potential for surges in cases.”
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“Without indoor gathering limits, COVID-19 will spread, and people will die,” added SUN president Tracy Zambory. “Registered nurses are disheartened to see preventable hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19. They are upset. They are weary. I have heard their stories borne of anger, frustration, and fear for their patients. The government cannot ignore the pleas of the province’s health care community any longer.”
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Ms. Zambory stressed that now is the time for strong leadership, noting that the health system risks being completely overwhelmed within weeks. “We are at a critical moment in this fourth wave. We have already had to make heartbreaking decisions on cancelling surgeries and suspending organ donations.”
Just a week ago, the Saskatchewan Medical Association called for even more violations of people’s basic rights. Of course, this is all being done in the name of safety.
7. Shoppers Drug Mart, Erika Barootes
Erika Barootes not only runs a lobbying firm, but apparently she’s also working on becoming a Senator as well …. and at the same time. She is also a (recent) President of the UCP, United Conservative Party of Alberta, and helped install Jason Kenney as Premier. Hmmm…. are Kenney and Moe close friends?
And on the topic of Shoppers Drug Mart, take a look at what has been going on in Ontario: bipartisan support for big pharma.
8. VIDO-InterVac, Douglas Richardson
Douglas Richardson and VIDO-InterVac (University of Saskatchewan) have been addressed in an earlier piece. This man has been involved in Federal politics for a long time, and used to be a regular donor to the Liberal Party of Canada. VIDO has ties to the United Nations, and gets money indirectly from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Christian Macher at Novartis has had a long career with big pharma. Also, Kiersten Combs is with AstraZeneca. Of course, this is not all of them, but does offer some insight into who is doing the lobbying of Scott Moe.
Now, how much money does the Saskatchewan Government receive for health care, and where does it come from?
The Saskatchewan Health Authority is structured as a charity, and is searchable on the Canada Revenue Agency’s website. For long time readers of Canuck Law, this is not surprising in the least.
New programs:
The SHA formed December 4, 2017 from the amalgamation of 12 regional health authorities. New programs include: development of primary healthcare networks and preliminary work on community health centers, setting up accountable care units, implementation of purposeful rounding in all long term care facilities, implementation of the Take Home Naloxone Program.
The obvious spike in expenses and revenue after 2017 is most likely due to this amalgamation.
Financials To End Of March 2017
Receipted donations $62,631.00 (0.01%)
Non-receipted donations $0.00 (0.00%)
Gifts from other registered charities $2,193,779.00 (0.20%)
Government funding $1,000,996,812.00 (92.83%)
All other revenue $75,076,566.00 (6.96%)
Total revenue: $1,078,329,788.00
Charitable programs $900,880,241.00 (82.52%)
Management and administration $108,849,560.00 (9.97%)
Fundraising $0.00 (0.00%)
Political activities $0.00 (0.00%)
Gifts to other registered charities and qualified donees $0.00 (0.00%)
Other $81,918,606.00 (7.50%)
Total expenses: $1,091,648,407.00
Compensation
Total compensation for all positions: $691,977,113.00
Full-time employees: 5312
Part-time employees: 3186
Professional and consulting fees: $11,674,595.00
Compensated full-time positions: $350,000 and over (10)
Financials To End Of March 2018
Receipted donations $1,147,292.00 (0.03%)
Non-receipted donations $5,511,284.00 (0.14%)
Gifts from other registered charities $24,754,700.00 (0.62%)
Government funding $3,735,771,967.00 (92.91%)
All other revenue $253,488,625.00 (6.30%)
Total revenue: $4,020,673,868.00
Charitable programs $3,632,936,335.00 (90.25%)
Management and administration $374,064,014.00 (9.29%)
Fundraising $491,986.00 (0.01%)
Political activities $0.00 (0.00%)
Gifts to other registered charities and qualified donees $1,161,832.00 (0.03%)
Other $16,697,168.00 (0.41%)
Total expenses: $4,025,351,335.00
Compensation
Total compensation for all positions: $2,543,632,424.00
Full-time employees: 25367
Part-time employees: 17716
Professional and consulting fees: $348,231,847.00
Compensated full-time positions: $350,000 and over (10)
Financials To End Of March 2019
Receipted donations $2,414,453.00 (0.06%)
Non-receipted donations $2,602,691.00 (0.06%)
Gifts from other registered charities $24,637,945.00 (0.60%)
Government funding $3,804,463,918.00 (92.37%)
All other revenue $284,444,095.00 (6.91%)
Total revenue: $4,118,563,102.00
Charitable programs $3,746,897,249.00 (90.33%)
Management and administration $382,530,847.00 (9.22%)
Fundraising $245,176.00 (0.01%)
Political activities $0.00 (0.00%)
Gifts to other registered charities and qualified donees $0.00 (0.00%)
Other $18,208,282.00 (0.44%)
Total expenses: $4,147,881,554.00
Compensation
Total compensation for all positions: $2,652,508,078.00
Full-time employees: 26146
Part-time employees: 18689
Professional and consulting fees: $285,427,859.00
Compensated full-time positions: $350,000 and over (10)
Financials To End Of March 2020
Receipted donations $1,809,796.00 (0.04%)
Non-receipted donations $3,799,269.00 (0.09%)
Gifts from other registered charities $58,263,578.00 (1.34%)
Government funding $4,007,820,033.00 (91.85%)
All other revenue $291,888,059.00 (6.69%)
Total revenue: $4,363,580,735.00
Charitable programs $3,886,421,481.00 (90.44%)
Management and administration $389,450,093.00 (9.06%)
Fundraising $8,091.00 (0.00%)
Gifts to other registered charities and qualified donees $0.00 (0.00%)
Other $21,502,802.00 (0.50%)
Total expenses: $4,297,382,467.00
Compensation
Total compensation for all positions: $2,880,882,144.00
Full-time employees: 26817
Part-time employees: 18345
Professional and consulting fees: $189,626,394.00
Compensated full-time positions: $350,000 and over (10)
Financials To End Of March 2021
Receipted donations $1,652,389.00 (0.03%)
Non-receipted donations $24,440,335.00 (0.50%)
Gifts from other registered charities $28,831,882.00 (0.59%)
Government funding $4,592,929,207.00 (93.90%)
All other revenue $243,477,494.00 (4.98%)
Total revenue: $4,891,331,307.00
Charitable programs $4,251,608,792.00 (90.60%)
Management and administration $422,024,070.00 (8.99%)
Fundraising $5,132.00 (0.00%)
Political activities $0.00 (0.00%)
Gifts to other registered charities and qualified donees $0.00 (0.00%)
Total expenses: $4,692,642,748.00
Compensation
Total compensation for all positions: $3,172,109,803.00
Full-time employees: 20989
Part-time employees: 19211
Professional and consulting fees: $205,033,061.00
Compensated full-time positions: $350,000 and over (10)
Looking through the last several years of tax information, we can see that the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s top 10 paid employees (most likely executives) are making over $350,000 each year.
Also, it seems about 7-10% of the revenue generated year over year comes from sources outside of the Government. While a relatively small amount, it would be nice to know who is subsidizing health care in the Province. Also, it’s unclear what “all other revenue” really encompasses.
Maybe, just maybe, the organizations listed above are significant donors to the Saskatchewan Health Authority. It would explain an awful lot if true.
Off topic, but this is worth a mention: Moe was also one of the “conservatives” who launched half hearted challenges to the Federal Carbon tax in Court. As outlined earlier, these were done for show, and never intended to succeed.
With all of this information in mind, we must now ask: WHY is Scott Moe’s patience running out with those who refuse to get vaccinated?
(1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEy0AcXoXZ4
(2) https://twitter.com/PremierScottMoe/status/1446261075876397060
(3) https://www.sasklobbyistregistry.ca/search-the-registry/
(4) https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothysmithottawa/
(5) https://policybase.cma.ca/permalink/policy14448
(6) Canadian Medical Association Vaccine Passports
(7) https://www.linkedin.com/in/faris-el-refaie-73814918/
(8) https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-mckillican-0496984b/
(9) https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-hanna-63b87326/
(10) https://neighbourhoodpharmacies.ca/our-partners
(11) https://neighbourhoodpharmacies.ca/our-members-pharmacy-operator-partners
(12) Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association Of Canada Election Platform Toolkit
(13) https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginiawilkinson/
(14) Saskatchewan Pharmacists Support Lockdown Measures
(15) https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-brossart-4207a61b/
(16) https://www.sma.sk.ca/news/2375/news-release-saskatchewan-s-physicians-and-nurses-join-to-demand-increased-health-measures-to-combat-the-pandemic.html
(17) https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-barootes-88b2a141/
(18) https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-macher-5a2251/
(19) https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/srch/pub/dsplyRprtngPrd?q.srchNmFltr=saskatchewan+health&q.stts=0007&selectedCharityBn=895830180RR0001&dsrdPg=1
(20) https://canucklaw.ca/whos-pulling-elizabeth-mays-strings/
(21) https://canucklaw.ca/whos-pulling-erin-otooles-strings/
(22) https://canucklaw.ca/why-is-rempel-silent-on-harmful-effects-of-interim-authorized-vaccines/
(23) https://canucklaw.ca/whos-pulling-steven-guilbeaults-strings-part-1-eco-movement/
(24) https://canucklaw.ca/whos-pulling-steven-guilbeaults-strings-part-2-anti-free-speech-privacy/
(25) https://canucklaw.ca/ford-still-lobbied-by-political-operatives-on-behalf-of-vaccine-companies/
(26) https://canucklaw.ca/cv-10d-nova-scotia-pharma-lobbying-moh-robert-strang-an-anti-democratic-tyrant/
(27) https://canucklaw.ca/whos-pulling-jason-kenneys-strings/
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