“I am a family man who had his family life turned upside down with a lot of the measures from governments. So you really wonder what’s happening. And was it worth it?” Massie said.
“It’s time to launch the process of reconciliation and healing ... that we emerge from this crisis all grown up. ... I’m here to learn, listen, and to put my scientific rigour to the process. ... It’s time for benevolence and humility.”
Drysdale is forensic engineer with over 41 years of experience, a father of six, and a grandfather of four.
“I had to become involved. It was my duty as a citizen,” he said.
“Lives have been destroyed in the process,” he said, noting that unsafe medical procedures led to injuries and deaths, while suicide, crime, drug addiction, domestic violence, and other social maladies increased as a result of government pandemic policies.
“Peoples’ lives were disrupted with the closing of schools and businesses that shredded the social fabric of our nation. The closure of churches and other places of social interaction and community, eliminated support systems that were in place to assist Canadians,” Drysdale wrote.
According to the NCI’s website, the inquiry is a citizen-led and citizen-funded initiative independent of government whose “purpose is to listen, to learn, and to recommend. What went right? What went wrong? How can Canadians and our governments better react to national crises in the future in a manner that balances the interests of all members of our society?”
Trish Wood has become spokesperson for the inquiry in place of Preston Manning, who was recently appointed to Alberta’s Public Health Emergencies Governance Review Panel. Wood worked for 10 years on CBC’s “Fifth Estate,” revealed the stories of Iraq War veterans in “What Was Asked of Us,” and hosts a podcast.
At the press conference, Wood said she recalled covering Dr. Anthony Fauci and AIDS in the 1980s and that there was more room then to have journalistic scrutiny and scientific dissent.
“Please be kind to us. We are all committed to this with integrity and heart. We are all going to do our best to leave our biases at the door,” she said.
“If you don’t have an opinion you’re not thinking. Everyone in the country has an opinion, including us.”
In a press release, the inquiry stated those invited to participate include government officials, economists, health-care experts, constitutional experts, and people with “personal stories that will help illuminate any unarticulated and overlooked shortcomings in the government responses.”
