Nova Scotians feel “betrayed” that voting PC didn't stop vaxx passports: Premier's Office

The Canadian Press / Andrew Vaughan

• By Ezra Levant

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Emails circulated by the office of the premier of Nova Scotia show that residents feel “betrayed” over the implementation of “inhumane, illegal, discriminatory, and immoral” COVID vaccine passports, after being led to believe that the new Progressive Conservative government would reject the policies put forward by the previous Liberal government.

This round-up of the opinions of Nova Scotians was collected by Premier Tim Houston's own office, and released in a document package that also includes communications promoting the use of pharmacies, which are in every community and have been “excellent partners”, instead of schools to “get this vaccine into little arms”.

The documents were released in response to a FOIPOP request, which asked for:

All correspondence (including but not exclusive to briefing materials, presentations, emails, and text messages) by the Premier and/or his staff regarding the vaccination rollout for Nova Scotians 5 to 12 years old. Please include any/all attachments.

The government of Nova Scotia returned four pages worth of documents on all messages involving Houston and his staff regarding vaccinating kids, which comprised only two emails.

Nova Scotians Felt Betrayed That Voting Conservative Didn't Stop COVID Passports

On October 20, Executive Correspondence Coordinator Jeffrey Byrne compiled the primary topics from the Premier's inbox that day.

The email read, in part:

Covid-19: today's COVID-19 related correspondence was predominately regarding:

• Vaccinations
  • Call for a third dose of vaccine for seniors
  • Call for a third dose of vaccine for anyone who wants it
  • Call to not mandate vaccines for children from 5 to 11 years old
• Vaccine policy:
  • Feelings of anger/frustration/betrayal over implementation of policy. Frustration that conservatives were elected in because of their rejection of the vaccine policy/passport.
  • Concerns that the policy is inhumane, illegal, discriminatory, and immoral. Concern that the policy has caused a great divide between citizens.
  • Threats of legal action if the policy and public health measures are not ended.
  • Calls to end the vaccine policy.
  • Support for the vaccine policy.
• Other:
  • Why isn't regular testing an alternative to vaccination?
  • Call to end public health measures.

Premier Tim Houston's Progressive Conservative Party won the provincial election this past August after the Liberal premier Iain Rankin had promised a provincial vaccine certificate, the #ScotiaPass, on the campaign trail. After that announcement, Houston tweeted that he would meet with the province's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang on August 18 to “determine the best way to manage COVID-19”.

In September, after only a few weeks in office, Houston announced that the province would go ahead with a COVID vaccine passport system, starting October 4.

Pharmacies Best Option To Get “Vaccine Into Little Arms”

The second email released in the FOIPOP was composed by COVID communications managing director Tara Walsh on October 21, and focused on the province's plan to vaccinate kids.

This work? I think we need to leave the door open as it sounds like other options could be available, but pharmacies will be the primary way to get this vaccine into little arms. Note the new piece below from IWK ... good news!!

Vaccines for children 5-11:

• Dr. Strang and his team are planning now for delivering COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 5 to 11.
• Like other provinces, we are waiting for approval from Health Canada and recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization on the use of the vaccine for this age group.
• Our vaccine program has been very successful and we're going to build on it for this age group.
• We're going to use pharmacies primarily to deliver the vaccine. They have been an excellent partner and they are all over this province in every community.
• We've been talking to our health partners about other options for children and families. I can tell you that the IWK is planning to stand up a community vaccine clinic.

Why not schools?

• These are young children and parents will want to be with them to support them. You can't vaccine a classroom full of five-year-olds without their parents.

In November, Rebel News reported that NS released their data on COVID vaccine adverse reaction deaths, showing that several individuals over the age of 50 died soon after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.