University suspends mRNA researcher for four months without pay for expressing his concerns
For having expressed concerns about COVID-19 vaccination for children, Patrick Provost is now suspended for four months without pay.
During the pandemic, Mr. Provost raised concerns about mRNA vaccination, especially the risk it has towards children. On December 7, 2021, Mr. Provost took part in a conference involving several doctors and scientists, produced by RéinfoCovid, which was broadcasted on various social media platforms.
As a result of a complaint filed against him by a colleague in his research area, he was suspended for eight weeks without pay on June 14, 2022. On 14 July, following the suspension, Patrick Provost was invited for an interview on CHOI 98.1 Radio X. In this broadcast, Mr. Provost reiterated his position on children’s vaccination.
Another complaint was filed on the university’s portal against these comments on 18 July. The complaint, this time citizen, was deemed admissible and an investigation committee, established on October 25, 2022, found the complaint acceptable and suspended Mr. Provost on January 23 for four months without pay.
Patrick Provost, with the assistance of his union, filed a grievance against Laval University’s decisions on the professor’s suspension.
In total, 10 days of the hearing will be held in front of an arbitration tribunal, chaired by Rosaire Houde, a professional labour arbitrator in Quebec, to hear the grievance filed by Mr. Provost to contest the validation of the 8-week suspension without pay imposed by Laval University.
The first hearings were moved to later dates. Recently, Patrick Provost was facing a third complaint that would likely have led to his dismissal, from a scientific article published in prepublication in the journal Research Square.
Following that, Mr. Provost gave his version of events to the representatives of Laval University, and was later exonerated of his charges on February 14. That is the day after Laval University received a copy of a letter in support of Patrick Provost written and signed by 281 professors at Laval University.
Alexandra Lavoie
Quebec based Journalist
Alexa graduated with a degree in biology from Laval University. Throughout her many travels, she has seen political instability as well as corruption. While she witnessed social disorder on a daily basis, she has always been a defender of society’s most vulnerable. She’s been around the world several times, and now joins Rebel News to shed light on today’s biggest stories.
