The caucus of the Conservative Party of BC joined about 50 people rallying outside the provincial legislature Thursday calling on B.C. to end its vaccination mandate for health care workers.
The rally took place a day after BC Conservative House Leader Bruce Banman called on the provincial government to fire provincial health officer Bonnie Henry and bring back 91裸聊视频渢housands of health care workers who were wrongly kicked to the curb91裸聊视频� because of the mandate.
91裸聊视频淭his is not about opposing the jab,91裸聊视频� Banman said. 91裸聊视频淚t is about ending the medical tyranny of this NDP government and Dr. Bonnie Henry. Enough cajoling, enough coercing and enough deflecting. It91裸聊视频檚 time to be held accountable.91裸聊视频�
Thursday91裸聊视频檚 rally continued that theme as BC Conservative Party Leader John Rustad repeated his argument that lifting the vaccination mandate would help the health care system, especially in rural B.C.
91裸聊视频淥ne doctor can make a huge difference,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淎 couple of nurses make a huge differences. We should be doing everything we can to get those health care workers back in our system.91裸聊视频�
Rustad also repeated his party91裸聊视频檚 critique of Henry. While Henry did her best to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic during its height, 91裸聊视频渆very other jurisdiction91裸聊视频� in the world is learning how to deal with it without mandates, he said.
91裸聊视频淚t seems to be an ideological bent,91裸聊视频� he said, adding that everybody trained needs to be in the health care system.
91裸聊视频�(Quite) frankly, Bonnie Henry is preventing those people from being in our system. That is causing harm to our health-care system and for that reason91裸聊视频e should be looking at a different health care officer in this province.91裸聊视频�
Rustad made these comments after the rally heard from eight speakers from the medical and non-medical community.
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Several speakers like Jan Webb, who introduced herself as a retired nurse, accused government of over-stepping its authority by mandating health care workers to get vaccinated. Webb said she never anticipated that government would mandate vaccination.
91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 kind of like going back to the 1940s,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淏ut they did.91裸聊视频�
Other speakers questioned the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, or accused government of exaggerating the seriousness of COVID-19 in pointing to alternative treatment options.
Health Minister Adrian Dix defended Henry both Wednesday and Thursday.
91裸聊视频淗ow can you have so much contempt for people who live in long-term care?91裸聊视频� Dix said during Question Period in response to Banman.91裸聊视频滺ow can you have so much contempt for people who have to be in acute care? (When) we know that it91裸聊视频檚 the most vulnerable who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, how can you take the view that we should have abandoned them?91裸聊视频�
B.C., he added, had the best response to COVID-19 because of Henry.
91裸聊视频淚 think it is shameful that she91裸聊视频檚 being targeted in this way by a political party in this (legislature),91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淪he has done a great, courageous and remarkable job. I stand with her, and I hope everyone in this House does.
Dix said Thursday that 99 per cent of health-care workers are vaccinated. 91裸聊视频淪o there is a difference between a 50-50 issue and 99-to-1 issue,91裸聊视频� Dix said, adding that he encounters a genuine appreciation for Henry across B.C.
Henry answered questions at length in both public and private settings and worked directly with the opposition.
91裸聊视频淚 cannot think of an occasion when she did not treat their questions with respect or they did not treat her with respect,91裸聊视频� Dix said.
BC Greens Thursday also faced questions about their rhetorical treatment of Henry when Sonia Furstenau used the phrase 91裸聊视频済aslighting91裸聊视频� in October 2022 when speaking about Henry91裸聊视频檚 comments concerning COVID-19 cases in schools.
Furstenau said she does not think Henry was gaslighting.
91裸聊视频淚 think in the context of Question Period, that has been used, but I think we need transparency and accountability from public service in this province.91裸聊视频�
Furstenau also rejected suggestions that the BC Greens91裸聊视频� COVID-19 conversation lines up with the Conservatives.
91裸聊视频淲e have never questioned the efficacy of vaccines,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淲e have looked to evidence-based health approaches to ensure that there is the lowest amount of (COVID) transmission possible.91裸聊视频�
wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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