Human Rights Archives - Page 22 of 72

October 9, 2021October 12, 2021

Who’s Pulling Scott Moe’s Strings?

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?

October 6, 2021April 20, 2022

Who’s Pulling Jason Kenney’s Strings?

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney doesn’t seem all that concerned that a possible 90% of positive cases in the Province could be due to error. One would think he’d be happy to know that. Here is the full interview with Danielle Smith, from November 2020. The above clip starts at about 28:30.

Don’t forget, Kenney previously attended Bilderberg. Therefore, globalist ties must at least be assumed at this point. And he does nothing to dispel the suspicions.

Now, why would Kenney be so vaxx happy if there is such a prevalence of false positives? One possibility is that his interests lie elsewhere. Let’s see who he’s been talking to in the last year or so. According to the Alberta Lobbying Registry, the following meetings happened:

January 13, 2020 (Pfizer)
February 14, 2020 (Novartis)
February 29, 2020 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
February 29, 2020 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
March 6, 2020 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
March 24, 2020 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
April 7, 2020 (Pfizer)
April 15, 2020 (Novartis)
April 24, 2020 (AstraZeneca)
May 13, 2020 (Janssen)
June 30, 2020 (AstraZeneca)
August 25, 2020 (Novartis)
August 28, 2020 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
August 31, 2020 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
September 3, 2020 (Janssen)
September 29, 2020 (Novartis)
October 6, 2020 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
October 13, 2020 (Pfizer)
October 19, 2020 (AstraZeneca)
October 27, 2020 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
November 2, 2020 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
November 2, 2020 (Janssen)
November 2, 2020 (Novartis)
November 12, 2020 (Novartis)
November 26, 2020 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
November 26, 2020 (Janssen)
November 26, 2020 (Novartis)
December 4, 2020 (AstraZeneca)
December 4, 2020 (Pfizer)
December 15, 2020 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
December 15, 2020 (Janssen)
December 15, 2020 (Novartis)
January 4, 2021 (Astellas Pharma Canada Inc.)
January 15, 2021 (Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation)
January 15, 2021 (Astellas Pharma Canada Inc.)
January 15, 2021 (Entos Pharmaceuticals)
January 28, 2021 (Entos Pharmaceuticals)
February 18, 2021 (Vertex Pharmaceuticals)
February 19, 2021 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
February 23, 2021 (Emergent BioSolutions)
February 28, 2021 (Janssen)
March 1, 2021 (Purdue Pharma)
March 19, 2021 (Entos Pharmaceuticals)
March 19, 2021 (Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada)
March 30, 2021 (Pfizer)
April 12, 2021 (Alberta Pharmacists’ Association)
April 28, 2021 (AstraZeneca)
May 3, 2021 (Novartis)
May 28, 2021 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
June 2, 2021 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
June 30, 2021 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
June 30, 2021 (Janssen)
June 30, 2021 (Novartis)
August 31, 2021 (Innovative Medicines Canada)
September 6, 2021 (Janssen)
September 7, 2021 (AstraZeneca)
September 7, 2021 (Novartis)
September 29, 2021 (Alberta Pharmacists’ Association)
October 3, 2021 (Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada)
October 4, 2021 (Novartis)

It should go without saying that there are more instances of lobbying not listed here.

This is particularly interesting since it’s not the Provinces who do the purchasing of vaccines. That is handled by the Federal Government. Of course, this is quite the list. Now, who are some of the people who have been wanting to push big pharma onto Kenney and Alberta?

1. Hal Danchilla, Kenney’s (Former?) Campaign Strategist

Either this guy really likes to grandstand, or Alberta politicians are all just puppets. Danchilla brags about influencing Municipal, Provincial, and Federal politics. This veteran handler is now a pharmaceutical lobbyist whose name is all over these registrations.

2. Christian Macher, Novartis Manager

Going back to his days at Proctor & Gamble, AstraZeneca, Innovative Medicines Canada, and Novartis, this man has had a lengthy career in the pharmaceutical industry.

3. Margaret Wing, Alberta Pharmacists’ Association

Even pharmacists need someone fighting in their corner. It’s not like the drug companies themselves have vested interests in seeing their products being sold en masse.

4. David Pidduck, Purdue Pharma

Nothing says important quite like getting the Chief Executive Officer down to make that personal connection with the politicians.

5. Philip Dewan, Emergent BioSolutions

Most interesting. Before getting into lobbying, Dewan was the Chief of Staff for the Ontario Liberal Party. As for other dirt on Counsel Public Affairs, see: here, here, here, here and here. It’s quite the cesspit.

6. Randy Pettipas (Various Groups)

Randy Pettipas has a reputation for providing strong strategic policy advice and solid results in all major industries such as energy, natural resources, telecommunications and transportation, among others. He is a trusted advisor to the leaders of many of Canada’s largest corporations. As CEO, Randy provides strong leadership and guides the overall growth strategy for Global Public Affairs. Since Randy joined the firm in 1997, Global has expanded its reach beyond Ottawa, establishing offices across Canada. Global now operates in federal, provincial and municipal jurisdictions, providing team-based government relations and communications services offering to clients across Canada and internationally.
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Randy previously held senior positions in the federal government, serving as a Minister’s Chief of Staff and a senior advisor on issues in Western Canada, both in the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition and the Prime Minister’s Office, from 1990 to 1997.
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Randy currently serves on the advisory board of the Canada Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. He is also actively involved as a volunteer in the Calgary community, currently serving on the boards of the Calgary Zoo, Arts Commons and the Calgary Chapter of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD). Randy is also past board chair of Hospice Calgary.

Pettipas has spent time inside the Federal Government, and was a Chief of Staff for a Minister (although it doesn’t list which one). His biography explains a lot.

For some background on Alberta Health Services, check out this piece. This organization isn’t quite what most people think it is.

Of course, Kenney got an honourable mention in the piece about Rubicon Strategy. Kory Teneycke is currently acting as a handler for Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

This list is far from exhaustive, but should provide some insight into just who has been pulling Jason Kenney’s strings as of late. There are certainly others, but the pharmaceutical industry listings seem very abundant recently. Kenney appears to serve almost everyone except Albertans.

(1) https://www.facebook.com/kenneyjasont/videos/1065515287297927
(2) https://www.albertalobbyistregistry.ca/
(3) https://www.linkedin.com/in/hal-danchilla-057a1331/
(4) https://www.cdnstrategy.com/hal-danchilla
(5) https://archive.is/oEwXu
(6) https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-macher-5a2251/
(7) https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-wing-7954331a5/
(8) https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-dewan-65a29918/
(9) https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpidduck/
(10) https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-dewan-65a29918/
(11) https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-dewan-65a29918/
(12) https://globalpublicaffairs.ca/staff/randy-pettipas-2/
(13) https://www.weforum.org/people/jason-t-kenney

October 5, 2021October 5, 2021

Bill C-11: Parliamentary Hearing On Facial Recognition Technology (May 10, 2021)

This was from a May 10, 2021 Parliamentary Committee Meeting on Bill C-11, and facial recognition. In some sense this hearing is academic, as Parliament was was dissolved over the summer. Nevertheless, it’s entirely possible that it will be brought back once the new session starts.

Also, as this so-called “pandemic” drags on, and resistance builds, will facial recognition become the norm at protests? Will this be a way to identify and target peaceful demonstrators?

Another point: while law enforcement or Canadian intelligence may be barred from using this facial recognition, will they simply outsource it to private companies? A possible argument would be that the police aren’t actually violating privacy laws, but just taking advantage of others that do.

THE WORLD’S LARGEST FACIAL NETWORK
Clearview AI provides law enforcement agencies with greater insight and lead generation through the use of our investigative platform. Our platform includes the largest known database of 10+ billion facial images sourced from public-only web sources, including news media, mugshot websites, public social media, and many other open sources.
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Agencies that use our platform can expect to receive high-quality leads with fewer resources expended. These leads, when supported by other evidence, can help accurately and rapidly identify suspects, persons of interest, and victims to help solve and prevent crimes.

HOW DOES CLEARVIEW AI’S FACIAL SEARCH TECHNOLOGY WORK?
Clearview AI provides law enforcement agencies with investigative opportunities through the use of our research tool. Our platform includes the largest known database of 10+ billion facial images sourced from public-only web sources, including news media, mugshot websites, public social media, and many other open sources.

Clearview is called out by name in the House of Commons meeting. It’s quite interesting. Remember those pictures with your college buddies from 10-15 years ago on Facebook? Guess what, those may have been copied, real names attached, and used as reference points in the near future.

Of course, some private companies have already been using this type of technology for years. It’s not exactly revolutionary at this point. Last October, the story about Cadillac Fairview using this without people’s knowledge or consent in Ontario was broken

Anyhow, this story will need to be followed up on. In the meantime, it’s pretty chilling to see how accepting and tolerant public officials have become about its use.

(1) https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/43-2/ETHI/meeting-34/evidence
(2) May 10 Facial Recognition Parliamentary Hearing
(3) https://parlvu.parl.gc.ca/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20210510/-1/35421?Language=English&Stream=Video
(4) https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/432/ETHI/Evidence/EV11321905/ETHIEV34-E.PDF
(5) https://www.clearview.ai
(6) https://www.clearview.ai/law-enforcement
(7) https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/10/29/cadillac-fairview-broke-privacy-laws-by-using-facial-recognition-technology-at-malls-investigators-conclude.html

October 4, 2021October 4, 2021

Canadian Pharmacists Association: Campaigning At Taxpayer Expense To Grow Big Drug Industry

The Canadian Pharmacists Association has received money from the CEWS Program, which is the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy. Now, it doesn’t say how much, but that information is available elsewhere. According to the Federal Lobbying Registry, the CPA has received $191,387.49 from the Canada Revenue Agency. This group is expected to receive more in 2021. Now, as most people know, the CEWS is run by the CRA, so it’s fair to assume that the bulk (or all) or it is from CEWS.

Now, another group getting taxpayer subsidies is hardly news worthy. That being said, what the CPA is pushing for is definitely worth talking about.

Subject Matter Details
Legislative Proposal, Bill or Resolution
-CONTROLLED DRUGS AND SUBSTANCES ACT: Amending the CDSA to add pharmacists as practitioners (Opioids)
-Pre-budget consultation: Federal investments to improve the health care system and the health of Canadians
Legislative Proposal, Bill or Resolution, Regulation

The Cannabis Act, with respect to the medical cannabis regime and the role of pharmacists in dispensing and managing medical cannabis.

Policies or Program
-Distribution and administration of COVID-19 vaccinations
-Health Canada — Emergency Preparedness/Pandemic Planning with respect to implications for the practice of pharmacy
-Health Canada — Error reporting by community pharmacy into the the Canadian Medication Incident Reporting and Prevention System (CMIRPS)
-Health Canada — First Nations and Inuit Health – Non-Insured Health Benefits program (NIHB) with respect to implications for the practice of pharmacy
-Health Canada — Foreign Credential recognition Program, Health Canada Health Human Resources (HHR) Strategy – working with the department to understand the entry of foreign-trained pharmacists to Canada
-Health Canada — Post-market surveillance of pharmaceutical products with respect to implications for the practice of pharmacy
-Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Finance Canada, Health Canada – Prescription drug cost containment strategies with respect to implications for the practice of pharmacy
-Supports and resources for pharmacists and health care practitioners in response to COVID-19.
-The implementation of pharmacare in Canada, with respect to the practice of pharmacy and the role of pharmacists in pharmacare

Policies or Program, Regulation
-Health Canada — Working with Health Canada to implement measures to respond to national drug shortages, and responding to US proposals on importation
-Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Finance Canada, Health Canada — E-health / electronic health records policy with respect to implications for the practice of pharmacy

Regulation
-Health Canada – COVID-19 and the role of pharmacists in administering COVID-19 vaccinations
-Health Canada – Influenza vaccination and the role of pharmacists in administering flu vaccines in 2020

Something few know about, the CPA has long been a proponent of medical marijuana, and has also supported its legalization. The reasoning is simple: weed is a commodity from which money can be made.

A noteworthy item is that the CPA is pushing to make it easier to bring foreign trained pharmacists to Canada. Like with most professions, if you increase the supply, it ultimately drives down wages. And it’s not like have an abundance of university graduates who struggle to find well paid work.

For reference, here is what the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act currently says. It also explicitly defines a “practitioner” for the purpose of being exempt from punishment.

practitioner means a person who is registered and entitled under the laws of a province to practise in that province the profession of medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine, and includes any other person or class of persons prescribed as a practitioner; (praticien)

If the CPA were to get its way, pharmacists would be able to prescribe, or at least renew prescriptions for things like opiods.

Back in August, the CPA sent out a media release that some 2,000 pharmacies were ready to provide rapid testing kits in various Provinces across Canada. Now, was this done with public safety in mind, or were they simply trying to push a very profitable product onto the market?

The CPA also weighed in on the recent Federal election. Presumably, they support electing candidates who will promise some or all of the following:

COVID testing: Creating a national testing strategy in parallel with Canada’s vaccine program that will provide Canadians with broad access to at-home rapid COVID-19 tests.
Opioids: Amending federal regulations to enable pharmacists to provide safe opioid-related care to patients by making the CDSA exemptions permanent and enhancing access to safe supply.
Indigenous health: Improving access to key health services through the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program.
Pharmacare: Implementing a universal national pharmacare plan that features a blend of public and private plans.
Drug shortages: Addressing drug shortages by reducing the frequency of shortages and supporting health professionals in managing those that do occur.

Yeah, there’s no conflict of interest here at all.

Also, the CPA has spoken out about Ivermectin. They claim lack of proof that it works, and risks of side effects. Strangely, there seemed to be no objections over vaccines, and over the same issues. Now, there is also no proof this “virus” exists, but that has been covered elsewhere.

The CPA claims to have thousands of sponsors and industry partners, but doesn’t seem to actually name them. However, we can probably guess a lot of the names.

If one wants to be a “Gold Sponsor”, all it costs is $10,000. Seems pretty cheap, doesn’t it. As for the politicians that they gain access to (in Ottawa), this is quite the list.

Anyhow, this is what we have: a trade association lobbying for laws to grow their market. At the same time, the taxpayers are footing the bill to keep the lights on for them. One would think that Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca would be able to fund that.

(1) https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/cews/srch/pub/bscSrch
(2) https://lobbycanada.gc.ca/app/secure/ocl/lrs/do/vwRg?cno=2&regId=914369
(3) https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-38.8/fulltext.html
(4) https://www.pharmacists.ca/
(5) https://www.pharmacists.ca/news-events/news/more-than-2000-pharmacies-ready-to-provide-rapid-covid-19-tests-to-small-and-medium-employers-in-alberta-saskatchewan-manitoba-and-ontario/
(6) https://www.pharmacists.ca/industry-partners/sponsorships-affiliates/
(7) https://www.pharmacists.ca/industry-partners/
(8) CPA Lobbying In Ottawa

OTHER LOBBYING BY BIG PHARMA IN CANADA

September 30, 2021

Indemnified Manufacturers: Adam v. GlaxoSmithKline Inc., 2019 ONSC 7066 (CanLII)

This will be a short article, and briefly cover one case: Adam v. GlaxoSmithKline Inc., 2019 ONSC 7066 (CanLII). It dealt with a lawsuit against drug maker, GlaxoSmithKline, and whether they were liable for their products. The point is that the ruling very closely parallels what’s happening now.

To sum it up: no one is responsible for maiming or killing people with experimental drugs. The buck gets passed and passed, so no one has to face it.

Of course, this is of no comfort to people who have lost loved ones. It’s sickening to see that the rules are stacked against the average person.

[17] In the summer of 2009, the WHO called for manufacturers to begin clinical trials for a vaccine to combat H1N1.

[18] GSK developed two vaccines to combat H1N1: Arepanrix and Pandemrix. Both are substantially similar. Pandemrix was manufactured and distributed in Europe. Arepanrix was manufactured and distributed in Canada. Clinical trials for Arepanrix began in 2008 but had not been completed when the pandemic was declared.

[19] The federal Minister of Health authorized the sale of the Arepanrix vaccine pursuant to an interim order dated October 13, 2009. Human trials of the vaccine were still underway. The Minister of Health is empowered to make interim orders if immediate action is required because of a danger to health, safety or the environment. In issuing the interim order, Health Canada deemed the risk profile of Arepanrix to be favourable for an interim order. The authorization was based on the risk caused by the current pandemic threat and its danger to human health. As part of the interim order process, Health Canada agreed to indemnify GSK for any claims brought against it in relation to the administration of the Arepanrix vaccine.

[20] Although human trials of Arepanrix were not finished by the time Health Canada authorized its use, the vaccine was not without clinical history.

The point of this: GlaxoSmithKline was indemnified from any liabilities that their “interim authorized” vaccines might have led to. Guess they don’t really stand behind their work. Does any of this sound familiar?

Does the lack of transparency also sound familiar?

[35] The plaintiffs began their challenge about disclosure with the evidence of Ms. Hyacenth who testified that she was not told that: (i) the vaccine had not been tested through the usual route, (ii) the vaccine had been subject to a hastened approval process by Health Canada, (iii) adjuvants had never been used in children, (iv) the Government of Canada was indemnifying the vaccine manufacturer; and (v) some countries refused to make the vaccine available because of safety concerns. Ms. Hyacenth says that had she been told about these things she would not have risked having her children vaccinated.

[36] Part of the challenge of the plaintiffs’ inadequate disclosure case is that Ms. Hyacenth was not the direct purchaser of the vaccine. Vaccines are administered through a “learned intermediary,” in this case, her family physician. The issue is significant because any disclosures GSK makes are made in product monographs or inserts that accompany each vial of vaccine. The patient getting the vaccine does not receive the box containing the vaccine and whatever disclosure document it contains. It is the physician who receives this.

[37] GSK did disclose in its Product Information Leaflet for the Arepanrix vaccine and in its product monograph that Health Canada had authorized the sale of the vaccine based on only limited clinical testing and no clinical experience at all with children. Dr. Ledesma-Cadhit believes she knew this from the Health Canada website. She was also aware that Arepanrix was authorized through a special process because of the pandemic.

[38] The product monograph for Arepanrix disclosed that there was limited clinical experience with an investigational formulation of another adjuvanted vaccine but no clinical experience with children. In addition, the product information leaflet and product monograph disclosed a number of risks.

[39] Ms. Hyacenth says that Dr. Ledesma-Cadhit did not advise her of these risks. Although Dr. Ledesma-Cadhit was originally a defendant in the action, the plaintiffs released her from the action after being unable to find an expert who would opine that Dr. Ledesma-Cadhit breached her standard of care in administering the vaccine.

It gets interesting since there is in fact no agreement between the drug manufacturer and the patient. By this logic, GlaxoSmithKline wouldn’t be liable even without the indemnification agreement.

Even worse, the “learned intermediary”, the physician, isn’t really responsible either, since they were just following the advice of Health Canada. Remember, it doesn’t matter what your doctors are saying, because they are not responsible for whatever happens to you.

As for Government Officials (such as the Health Minister), they aren’t responsible either. As long as they claim these decisions are made for the good of society, they are pretty much untouchable as well.

Read the entire decision. The case is enlightening, for a few different reasons. If you think you have recourse if a loved one dies or gets seriously injured, think again.

(1) https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2019/2019onsc7066/2019onsc7066.html
(2) Adam V GlaxoSmithKline 2019 ONSC 7066

September 29, 2021

Coalition For Content Provenance And Authenticity (C2PA), Project Origin, Content Authenticity Initiative

The “Content Authenticity Initiative” claims to be setting the standard for digital content attribution. There are a few groups that seem to be working together to promote this. The CAI …. sounds a bit like CIA, doesn’t it?

The major goals involve being able to instantly and accurately trace a piece of media to its source. Photographs, images, videos, words, and other elements are to be encoded, and be able to get tracked. Welcome to Project Origin.

While this is sold as some sort of trust in media, there is another, more disturbing way to look at things. Will this not also directly connect people to things that are shared online? Won’t it mean the end to anonymous sharing of important information? Will it now become easier to track people for their thoughtcrimes?

1.2 Background At Adobe MAX 2019, the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) was announced by Adobe in partnership with The New York Times Company and Twitter. Since that time, this group has collaborated with a wide set of representatives from commercial organizations (software tools, publishers, social media), human rights organizations and academic research to produce this paper and the approach it describes.

5.1.3 Establishing Trust One key component in establishing trust in the CAI system comes from the entities whose certificates are used for signing the claim. To ensure that only assets signed by trusted actors can be considered properly attributed, it is necessary to create a list of trusted certificates or their certification authorities (CAs). Similar to the EU Trust List, the Adobe Approved Trust List, and similar lists used by web browsers and operating systems, the members of the CAI will establish their own Trust List of certificates that can be used to sign claims. Details on the governance of the Trust List is outside the scope of this paper. In many cases, the holder of the certificate will not the individual who created (or edited) an asset, but instead will be the entity responsible for the hardware or software that they used. The signing certificate belongs to the actor (e.g. Truepic Camera, Adobe Photoshop, BBC, etc.) that performed the actions on behalf of someone else. This model allows CAI to provide anonymity (and/or pseudonymity) where desired. For scenarios where the certificate holder is able to reliably establish the identity of the individual, and the individual wishes their identity associated with an asset, an identity assertion is used.

5.1.4 Identity One of the assertion types that can be present in a claim is Identity. This digital identity (also sometimes referred to as a Subject or an Entity) is present when an individual (or organization) is making a clear statement about their association with this claim. Digital identity fundamentally requires digital identifiers — strings or tokens that are unique within a given scope (globally or locally within a specific domain, community, directory, application, etc.). In order to support a variety of use cases, including those where identity might be anonymous or pseudonymous, it is important that various schemes for the identifiers are available for use. Fortunately, most common identity formats such as Decentralized Identifiers-DID, WebIDs, OpenID, ORCiD and others are all based on URIs. This enables an identity assertion to be expressed in the standard format described in RFC 3986.

5.1.6 Redaction of Assertions: In many workflows, there is a need for assertions to be removed by subsequent processes, either because publishing the assertion would be problematic (e.g. the identity of the person who captured a video) or the assertion is no longer valid (e.g. an earlier thumbnail showing something that has since been cropped out). The CAI allows for the redaction of these assertions in a verifiable way that is also part of the provenance of the asset. In the process of redacting an assertion, a record that something was removed is added to the claim. Because each assertion’s reference includes the assertion type, it is clear what type of information (eg. thumbnail, location, etc.) was removed. This enables both humans and machines to apply rules to determine if the removal is acceptable. NOTE: Assertion redacted only applies to assertions that are part of the CAI data. It does not have anything to do with removal of other metadata (XMP, EXIF, etc.).

9 Conclusion: The collaborators on this paper have explored the challenges of inauthentic media through problem definition, system design and use case research. The results of the exploration are expressed in the design of the CAI provenance system. To achieve widespread adoption we have based the design on existing standards and established techniques, and acknowledge that the system will need to include simple and intuitive user experiences. However, even an optimally designed system cannot ultimately succeed in a vacuum. We now begin the important work of deeper, more expansive collaboration with leaders in technology, media, academia, advocacy and other disciplines. With this first step towards an industry standard for digital content attribution, we look optimistically to a future with more trust and transparency in media.

The CAI white paper is certainly worth a read.

Microsoft and the BBC explain Project Origin in their own words. It all sounds so harmless, doesn’t it? It’s all about ensuring that people can trust what they observe in the media is accurate and reliable. Who could possibly disagree with that?

This “coalition” claims to be interested in being able to authenticate media images, videos, and bits of data to identify where it came from. If one was to work in a a vacuum, this sounds completely reasonable and well intentioned.

However, what all too often gets left out of the equation is the rampant corruption, collusion, and financial interests pushing certain narratives. Authenticating photos, while ignoring the bias and fake narratives leaves out the bigger picture. No way is this done by accident.

Have a look through some of the articles at the bottom. These are the bigger issues that so often get (unsurprisingly) ignored. Hard to have an independent media when they are all on the public dole. Even harder when political operatives work within many of them.

But hey, things like a global vaccine passport, are just crazy conspiracy theories, right? Just like the Vaccine Credential Initiative, or the ID2020 Project.

IMPORTANT LINKS:
(1) https://c2pa.org/
(2) https://c2pa.org/about/charter/
(3) https://contentauthenticity.org/
(4) https://www.originproject.info/
(5) https://c2pa.org/about/resources/
(6) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W3Om9Xbj2k
(7) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdTTl-C4PTM
(8) Content Authenticity Initiative WhitePaper

Category: Human Rights

Who’s Pulling Scott Moe’s Strings?

1. Canadian Medical Association, Tim Smith