Former Trudeau health minister ordered staff to shoot video days before Christmas lockdown

Patty Hadju, the COVID-era federal health minister, ordered her staff back to the office in December 2020, shortly before Ontario returned to a strict lockdown.

An access to information filing by Rebel News for pandemic-era health minister Patty Hajdu's photo and video expenses uncovered Hajdu dragging her staff into the office before Christmas 2020 to film her for social media. 

Health Canada, it should be noted NEVER took any extension to respond to the October 2021 access filing, which was made possible through crowd-funded donations to our research fund, www.RebelInvestigates.com. The three-year delay in turning over the records violates Canada's information laws. 

The email from John Holt of the video team at Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada is dated December 11, 2020, at just after 9 a.m. He writes:

Hi Pat, Alexandre,

Just wanted to say good job on yesterday's shoot, gentlemen. I know traipsing all the way downtown for a message can be a slog, but it looks great. Nice work.

It's up to the minister's office now. I don't expect any changes. 

At the time, Ontario was about to go back into lockdown just before Christmas, and many parts of the country had already locked down again, rendering turkey and eggnog with loved ones an illegal public gathering worthy of harsh police enforcement and steep fines.

In September 2020, just a few months before her "big video killed the COVID star" moment, Hajdu demanded that Ontario Premier Doug Ford use the OPP to enforce quarantine orders. 

This wouldn't be the only time Hajdu thought COVID rules should apply to everyone but her.

Six weeks before her photo, Hadju was caught unmasked at Pearson Airport. Hajdu claimed she was eating, which would not violate face-covering rules imposed on airports by the federal government, but no food was seen in the photo of her talking and smiling. 

While Canadians were being told to cancel family Christmas to fight the COVID bug, parts of Ontario department stores were about to be roped off as non-essential, businesses and churches were being forced to close or limit capacity, and Ontario schools were moving to remote learning, the federal health minister had her Ontario staff for come to office in December 2020 to record her.

Her vanity was more important than your children's sanity, or your human rights.

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Sheila Gunn Reid

Chief Reporter

Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.

COMMENTS

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  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2024-10-24 21:20:35 -0400
    Let’s remember this and other outrages when the next election comes. Let’s also remind our friends about such things. People have such short memories. Let’s be like elephants who never forget.