With the COVID-19 pandemic behind Canada, a new study by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) claimed that 'excess deaths' remain a significant problem for the country.

"More people are dying than statisticians had expected," said the JCCF in a report. "And yet, excess deaths no longer occupy the attention of politicians, public health officials, media or the broader Canadian public."

In a year-over-year comparison of the previous two calendar years, excess deaths in Canada increased by 75% in 2022 over 2021. A reported 37,000 more people died than expected in 2022, with only 16,300 attributed to COVID — up from 21,000 in 2021.

According to the JCCF, excess mortality rates remain high among Canadians aged 0-44 and 45-64.

As of June 2023, nearly a quarter (24%) of excess deaths last year resulted from "unknown causes."

"Canadian authorities cited excess deaths (when the cause was attributable to COVID-19) as justification for stringent pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic," reads the study.

The JCCF contends that Canadian reporting agencies, politicians and health authorities should care about every death, especially when there are data points in unexpected, unexplained mortality rates.

"[Deaths] matter, whether they can be attributed to an epidemiological emergency or not, and deaths are particularly concerning when mortality rates are higher than expected."

Though Statistics Canada could not verify the number of deaths in the study, it previously alleged the causes for a significant number of them had not been analyzed yet by federal agencies.

"Data releases and reports of causes of deaths have been subject to significant and inexcusable reporting delays," said the JCCF, questioning whether democracies can function without access to credible data.

"[People] must have access to vital statistics if they are to be expected to trust and accept government interventions of the kind seen during the COVID-19 pandemic," the organization said.

"Governments, reporting bodies, and statistical agencies must begin to capture data about excess deaths and investigate their causes," reads the study.

Further, deaths attributed to COVID may have been overreported, especially in Québec, said the firm. "Citizens must have access to vital statistics if they are to trust and accept government interventions of the kind seen during the COVID-19 pandemic."