Canadian soldier’s career ends in hospital following vaccine mandate
Forced to comply and left to suffer, one veteran describes how the COVID-19 vaccine mandate destroyed his health and career.
In April 2020, then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared that life would not return to normal “until we get a vaccine” for COVID-19.
Mere months later, COVID-19 shots were fast-tracked to market under rolling submissions that allowed pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna to submit safety data as it rolled in.
What followed were sweeping mandates that reached into nearly every corner of society, including the Canadian Armed Forces.
One of those mandates upended the life of Max Paquin, a dedicated veteran who joined the Canadian Armed Forces straight out of high school and served for over two decades. A marathon-training, career-focused soldier in his mid-30s, Paquin’s story is a cautionary tale of policy consequences when coercion replaces choice.
Paquin and his wife were raising three young children in army-provided housing on his single military income when the October 2021 directive arrived. “We had three young kids. We rented a house from the army at that time,” he recalled. Facing the prospect of eviction amid skyrocketing rents during the pandemic, he felt he had no real option. “I didn’t really have a choice… we were going to get evicted… and we would lose our single income.”
The military, he says, bypassed standard medical consent protocol 4030-57, “Consent to Medical Treatment,” that requires fully informed and voluntary consent.
Instead of allowing members to refuse through proper court martial proceedings under Queen’s Regulations and Orders, the Chief of Defence Staff created an administrative fast-track for release of non-compliant members.
Paquin noted the information provided during briefings proved to be incorrect over time.
Officials originally claimed in presentations on the safety and efficacy of the novel mRNA shots that contents of the injection would remain at the injection site, leave the body within days, and carried no risk of autoimmune disease.
RE: JAMA study, co-Founder of @COVID_19_Canada Dr. Tara Moriarty appears to have spread misinformation during a CUPE Vaccine Policy Town Hall that promoted employer vaccine mandates on Sept 14, 2021
— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) September 27, 2022
Who corrects the record for the pregnant/nursing moms that her advice impacted? pic.twitter.com/dZNvr4l9qQ
Those claims have since been contradicted by peer-reviewed studies on biodistribution and side effects alike.
“We were told… there was no chance of possible autoimmune disease… which has all been proven false now,” Paquin said.
Weeks after his second Moderna dose, Paquin’s health collapsed. The narrative at the time was that adverse reactions meant that the shot was working.
Plagued by extreme fatigue, his situation escalated into a medical emergency involving swollen lymph nodes, spleen, lungs, and eventually, his brain. He faced a cancer scare, a botched lung biopsy that led to infection and internal bleeding, and a brain abscess that required two surgeries to remediate.
The infection ultimately spread to his brain, causing paralysis on his left side.
At 38, Paquin spent five weeks in hospital, and faced months of rehabilitation relearning to walk, tie his shoes, and use his left hand.
Diagnosed with sarcoidosis, which is an autoimmune condition linked in case reports to mRNA vaccination, Paquin was placed on the severely wounded list and was medically released from the Forces after 23 years of service.
Despite his health decline following vaccination, Paquin’s application for Veterans Affairs Canada disability benefits has been denied.
“They judged that there was not enough population epidemiology data on the mRNA technology to adjudicate in my favour,” he explained, despite providing peer-reviewed papers on post-vaccination sarcoidosis.
The product monograph at the time of the mandate left key risks blank, and updates acknowledging immune system reactions only came later.
“Be careful to the order you receive. Make sure that you know what is injected in you before it is done. You cannot go back,” Paquin urged. He also called on leaders to respect rights: “Make sure that you give proper orders and you don’t remove people’s right with the order you give.”
The vaccination mandate was later ruled unconstitutional by an external grievance committee, yet accountability for the egregious infringement remains few and far between.
Paquin continues fighting an appeal at the Veterans Review and Appeal Board while managing lasting effects and supporting his family on his military pension.
This is the human cost of governments prioritizing speed and compliance over informed consent and the precautionary principle — especially as long-term safety data remains woefully inadequate.
For veterans like Paquin who answered the call, the bill is still coming due.
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COMMENTS
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Sharon E Hart commented 2026-05-13 16:39:49 -0400Former Justin Trudeau should be charged for this harm to all canadians who have suffered from this vaccine. His 4 million dollar house should be sold and given to those forced to take the covid shot and harmed by it in such a destructive way. Someone should have to take responsibility for this harm and since he was leader the responsibility falls on his lap.
