When at least five United Conservative Party MLAs turned up for an “Injection of Truth” vaccine misinformation town hall last Monday sponsored by their party’s Calgary-Lougheed Constituency Association it sparked an immediate uproar on social media.
Seemingly the brain-child of Calgary-Lougheed MLA Eric Bouchard, the event at the Southside Victory Church was expected to be pretty bad. It turned out to be worse than anticipated.
Bad enough, that is, that Canadians in other provinces now have to be wondering: Are you alright, Alberta?
And if we’re not OK, they’ll be delighted to offer jobs to our physicians, doctors being in short supply everywhere in the Dominion.
For a town hall organized by a UCP constituency association and featuring a group of discredited anti-vaxx physicians, “Injection of Truth” attracted surprisingly little interest from mainstream media at first. Maybe it just seemed too kooky to bother with. The pandemic, after all, is officially over, even if COVID-19 continues to spread.
What got things really buzzing was not the size of the audience – about 500 UCP members, organizers claimed, although it looked like less in the pictures online – but a bizarre statement by the keynote speaker, non-practising physician Viliam Makis, that the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta ought to be renamed “the college of pedophiles and child sex abusers of Alberta.”
A partial audio clip of the proceedings published by one of the few news organizations to cover the meeting indicates that as soon as those words were uttered by the physician, whose permit to practice has been suspended by the college, a raucous cheer arose from the crowd.
“That way, they can keep their letters CPSA and it’ll be much more, you know, indicative of what they’ve been doing for the last four years,” continued the former Cross Cancer Institute nuclear medicine practitioner, who has been declared a vexatious litigant by the courts.
This seems like a peculiar detour for someone whose main beef with AHS was supposed to be its past policy of mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for staff during the pandemic, but it turned an easy-to-dismiss oddity into a controversy that can be expected to haunt the UCP.
According to Katie Teeling, former editor of the University of Alberta’s student newspaper who live-tweeted the event, Dr. Makis appeared to be “accusing the college of reinstating licenses to doctors and physicians who are, in his words, proven pedophiles, and saying that everyone within AHS and the college are ‘NDP allies’.”
Before the event, Premier Danielle Smith, misrepresenting the panelists recruited to take part, told her weekend free radio show that she supported Mr. Bouchard’s effort. “Sometimes you need to hear the contrarian voices,” she chirped, claiming the MLA was merely “hosting a variety of doctors to give their perspective, so I’m quite happy to let him continue on with that.”
Lending their support from the pews – or rather, the stacking chairs – were those UCP MLAs.
In addition to Mr. Bouchard, the gathering attracted Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA Scott Cyr, Calgary-Fish Creek MLA Myles McDougall, Airdrie-East MLA Angela Pitt, Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan, and Jennifer Johnson, the UCP-adjacent Independent MLA from Lacombe-Ponoka.
Readers will recall how Ms. Johnson notoriously compared trans children in school to excrement in cookie dough while running as a UCP candidate in the 2023 election. When the citizens of her riding elected her anyway, she was disinvited to sit with the UCP in the Legislature, although it’s widely assumed she will be welcomed back into the bosom of the party as soon as the premier concludes she can get away with it.
In addition, Mr. Bouchard told the crowd that Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland UCP MLA Shane Getson had RSVPed that he was coming. However, Mr. Getson appeared never to have arrived, Ms. Teeling noted. I suppose we could surmise that the sometime convoy blockade enthusiast received a reminder from someone that as Government Whip he had an obligation to appear a little less dull-witted than the average government MLA.
Outgoing Opposition Leader Rachel Notley said in a statement emailed to media soon after that “the spectre of the governing party fundraising off events where physicians are attacked in such a hateful way, along with the endorsement of those views by the attendance of five government MLAs … will jeopardize the recruitment and retention of physicians and, consequently, the very health and safety of all Albertans.”
“Failure to take responsibility would demonstrate a profound failure of leadership by Smith,” added Ms. Notley – who knew, presumably, that the premier had in effect endorsed the town hall before it got under way and was unlikely to apologize.
An open letter to the premier written before the event by the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association and signed by 125 Alberta interdisciplinary experts called the event “an example of fear-mongering by anti-vaccination proponents informed by hearsay and innuendo.”
And former Progressive Conservative deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk said the embarrassing town hall illustrates the bizarre turn toward medical conspiracy theories taken by the UCP after former premier Jason Kenney made a pact with the conservative movement’s far-right fringe.
“Jason Kenney, in his desperate desire to ‘unite the right,’ reached out to the unhinged far-right, comprised of conspiracy theorists, and anti-vaxxers,” Mr. Lukaszuk explained. “He soon realized that the insane have taken over the asylum.”
“Danielle Smith doesn’t have that problem,” he added in a direct message on X. “As much as she protests too much to seemingly distance herself from the UCP’s lunatic events (always after, but never before they take place), she has a well-documented history of making identically outrageous statements.”
Smith’s direction to the UCP’s anti-vaxxers is clear, Mr. Lukaszuk said: “Do it. I’m with you, but if you get caught, I’ll have to distance myself.”
Based on Ms. Smith’s past record of COVID denial and enthusiasm for quack COVID cures as a talk radio host, which clearly continues to influence her policies as premier, it hardly defies credulity to suggest she might be a covert member of the party’s informal anti-vaxx caucus.
So are we alright in Alberta?
Not really.
There’s no way this isn’t going to hurt physician recruitment and retention, doubtless to the delight of hard-pressed health officials elsewhere in Canada.
NOTE: Remember, today’s the day the NDP will announce the winner of its election to replace Rachel Notley as leader. As this was written last night, though, like the Edmonton Oilers, all four remaining candidates were still in the finals. That will change this afternoon. Notley Crue T-shirts are already officially collectors’ items. DJC
I have harsh words to say about this, but since there still could be the likelihood of a kid reading this, I’ll not use inappropriate language.
The UCP are going off the deep end, and there seems to be no low that they will stoop to.
Ask anyone who is over 80 years of age, and they will tell you how good it is to have modern medical advancements that they never had, when they were younger. They had medical issues back in their day that have since been dealt with by modern medicine and science.
There are people who are over 80 who will also acknowledge that they had siblings who passed away at a young age, due to health problems, and if modern medicine technology was there, their siblings could still be alive.
Instead of governing responsibly, Danielle Smith is enabling this foolishness, that will put more people at risk. Does she even care about the consequences? No. Neither do her MLAs.
Pretty much like their hero, Ralph Klein, the UCP wants to do as much damage to the public healthcare system in Alberta, just so they can privatize it. Nurses will have to relocate, if their jobs are lost, or they will have to retire early. Hospitals will suffer.
I remember that very thing happening under premier Ralph Klein.
Watch even more lawsuits happen, when people lose their loved ones, because of this. It happened when Ralph Klein was premier of Alberta, and though we don’t know what the settlement amounts were, because that was kept secret, they had to be very hefty, because people ended up richer than they were before.
Where’s the intelligence in this?
While King Ralph did enormous harm to this province’s health care system that continues to reverberate even today, even he didn’t have any truck or trade with the anti-vaxx looney fringe. His policies completely disregarded policy evidence around public-vs-private and the value of investment in public services, but I don’t recall him even remotely supporting this kind of anti- scientific, conspiracy-theory-driven radicalism. Neither did any of his successors in the Premier’s office.
Daniellezebub is tilling new ground here.
Are you and your ilk capable of looking at the data presented by the “anti-vaxxers” or are you going to always take personal potshots? How about you try to have a civil open public debate that revolves around data?
It’s odd how every time a proponent of the cancel culture falls silent whenever they are invited to do so. Personal attacks are all they can manage.
No personal attacks Zelda. I generally go to respectable sources such as the WHO, CDC, or Health Canada. Also established research institutions such as such as the Mayo Clinic are great sources of information. Here is one example from Yale Medicine that I think does I great job of summing things up: https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/covid-19-vaccine-comparison. The only data I have heard from anti-vaxxers is the CDC VAERS database, but they have completely misrepresented what it is for and how it is used. Side effects from vaccines are not uncommon, and have to be weighed against the disease itself. If there are common side effects reported then that is investigated to see if it is an issue. The first Covid vaccine I got was the Astra Zeneca vaccine. You can’t get that one any more. Why? Because a tiny proportion of people showed problems with heart inflammation, so it was pulled from the market. Covid vaccines have been administered to hundreds of millions at this point and if there were significant problems we would have seen them by now. The evidence I see shows the system works and I am grateful to live at a time and in a society that can produce safe and effective vaccines in response to an unprecedented pandemic. I am concerned, sad, and scared that some want to tear that down.
“Because a tiny proportion of people showed problems with heart inflammation, so it was pulled from the market.”
Or was it blood clotting? I think maybe it was blood clots. Anyway suffice to say it was a small proportion but the risk was deemed too great so it is no longer available.
What data? You mean propaganda don’t you? Also try explaining how one can have a civil open public debate with persons labelling everyone they don’t agree with pedophiles, along with other hysterical meanderings.
My opinion: The most dangerous place for young people to be physically and sexually assaulted outside the family is within a place of worship.
Zelda: This isn’t personal attacks. It’s merely calling out something that is wrong, when it is seen.
Zelda, why do you think it is that, in my experience, whenever I attempt to argue facts with an anti-vaxxer, they invariably resort to calling me names? You do know what a fact is, right?
Referring to a broad group of people self identifying themselves as such is hardly a “personal potshot”, give it a rest. As far as the data goes, that’s pretty much how scientific consensus (which is never really settled) works. Are you a health scientist? Clinician ? Statistician ? Epidemiologist ? What makes you think you have more of a grasp of “the data” than the rest of us? And why should anyone listen to you ? You can’t even differentiate between a broad critique and a personal attack. Straight into histrionics; classic.
I’ll show you “personal potshots”
Anti-vaxxers are delusional, narcissistic, pig-ignorant, verminous scum. They should be confined during His Majesty’s pleasure, and their children should be apprehended and placed in the care of sane adults who are not trying to kill them.
There is no conversation, no “civil open debate” to be had with the likes of you. Ostracism, loathing, and contempt are the only appropriate means of engagement, while restraining—if possible—the wrath and furious anger that is your due for placing the rest of us in peril.
In conclusion I hate anti-vaxxers even more than I hate holocaust deniers, and I hate holocaust deniers quite a lot. To the extent that the groups don’t overlap.
Now, now, D&G, settle down. DJC
“proven pedophiles”, ??????????
Did he provide any proof of his allegations? No and he won’t be either. Wonder if any one sues him. Might be fun to watch that case.
Now if any one is looking to leave Alberta for a province that will appreciate them, please feel free to come to B.C. Vancouver Island is lovely and most of it is not as expensive as Vancouver. Nanaimo’s hospital is having an additional tower built, cancer clinic is being added, and heart procedure equipment which up until now only has been available on the mainland or victoria. Best part, very little snow to shovel. Family doctors received a pay raise not that long ago and it was large enough that a fair number of doctors went to family practises.
Some great lakes around Port Alberni, lots of places to sail, golfing year round. We’d love to have you and the Premier and the MLAs won’t say nasty things about you.,
It makes me wonder how these people ever were elected to office. Their behaviour is simply disgusting.
e.a.f.: In the normal course of events, in Canadian defamation law, there must be identification of a defamed individual for a defamation suit to occur. We would need to hear the whole context of the offending remarks to know if anyone was identified. DJC
Whoa there eaf. I like Albertans, have Albertan friends, and even like Alberta itself, but with all due respect you guys stay where you are thanks and fix your own problems. I appreciate that eaf is trying to help you out but you were warned yet still elected these guys so live with it, we’ve got enough people here on the Left Coast now.
Mickey Rat– I have family in Edmonton and know how you feel, but are you not aware of what’s going on at the convention center in Victoria this weekend ….IMO the moat guards need to be replaced.
How these people were elected to office is very simple to explain. The voters of Alberta had a choice to either vote for a proven responsible and capable government or a party of anti vaxx, climate denying, anti science, conspiracy peddlers. The majority of voters in this province chose the latter. Obviously, the majority of voters in Alberta wanted what the UCP was selling.
To those anti-vax readers of Alberta Politics (there must be some) seeking alternate ways to attack covid, help is on the way. Happybumco.com offers a “Beginners Happy Bum Bundle Premium Coffee Enema Kit. It comes with everything you need to get started with coffee enemas at home.” Although without solid evidence some say coffee enemas are a valid treatment. At $129 US is any price is too high for anti-vax doubters seeking unconventional ways to combat the pandemic?
Tom: Gun nuts, climate change deniers, religious home schoolers, and anti-vaxxers (often the same people) don’t race to AlbertaPolitics.ca every morning to see if the author has posted anything worth reading. But usually after a post on one of the topics they hold dear appears, often after a few days, sometimes after a few weeks, word gets around and then there is a flood of nasty comments, most of which are published, but a few of which have to be spiked because they are too profane, completely irrelevant, incoherent, threatening, defame third parties, or contain information that if taken too seriously might be dangerous to children and small animals. DJC
David: Thank you for explaining what you go through whenever the crazies get their whiteys knotted. You are wise not to publish the worst of the profanities and insults lest you frighten the horses. A donation for your patience is in order.
Perhaps a post highlighting some of the best (worst) hate email you have received would be entertaining??
Naw, too depressing, Cool. And it calls into question the glory years of the Alberta education system. These guys can’t all have come from Ontario Proud. DJC
There was no variety of different voices at this event as Smith likely well knows despite trying to portray it as that. It was not some sort of debate or a discussion between those with different views. It was a kook fest, an indoctrination into the world of wacky conspiracy theory and a celebration of that.
Political demogogues love scapegoats as it allows them to minimize and deflect attention from the terrible things they want to do and of course justify it. So, of course the long list of enemies Smith and her enablers have includes most doctors and their medical association.
Despite their repeated attempts to attack the integrity and credibility of doctors and other medical professionals, I don’t think they have succeeded yet. Most Albertans look at what the UCP is doing here and see it for what it is, an attempt to keep favour with the powerful kooky side of their party and a reflection that the leadership embraces the same ideas.
It must be dispiriting to be a health care professional in Alberta after years of being constantly attacked by our UCP governments, both the current one and its predecessor. But in this instance, I do not feel the UCP extremists and all those in their leadership sympathetic to them represent Albertans and their opinions.
Makis is a well known Edmonton kook. Sad reading on CANLII.
Shane Getson probably wasn’t offered a limousine to make his grand entrance. Why would Mr. Cheezies-and-Cartoons show up for any event where he is not appropriately worshipped by the peasants? Does South Dakota have limousines?
Breaking news: The Earth is flat!
BTW, does anybody know where I could find a mailing list for the members of the Alberta Medical Association? Just asking for a friend.
John in Ontario.
This is straight from the Qanon playbook, alive and well in Alberta: if you can’t beat them with facts call them a pedo and say you’re just protecting the children. A clear variation on the old adage that if you can’t dazzle ’em with brilliance, baffle ’em with bullshit.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) conducted a hearing into unprofessional conduct relating to Viliam Makris. The hearing was held Jan. 15-16, 2018.
The CPSA website publishes its hearings. Please read this one. “..sexually innapropriate behavior…afraid for their jobs if they spoke against him, who they felt to be arrogant and above nursing staff…”.
Makris had his medical license yanked permanently. He was once a nuclear medicine specialist and now seems to want to be some sort of anti-vax influencer.
And the UCP government of Danielle Smith sees fit to massage his pathetic bruised ego (brought on by his own serious misconduct) by enabling his disinformation and giving this adjudicated bully ex physician a platform. To do what? Prove that the UCP is a scam and unfit to govern, con the attendees at this ridiculous anti-vax event, or massage the egos of the attendees to this ridiculous anti-vax event.
Of course, the rest of the panel at this anti-vax scamfest are just about unqualified.
Ah so once again accusation covers for projection and the call is coming from inside the house. Universal Creep Party.
Is it just me, or does that look like oil dribbling down on Marlaina’s face??
What you learn as a child and context is everything. When I was 12 growing up in a small town with a few churches, one being Catholic, two high school-aged girls earned a little money babysitting. Heaven forbid they were lesbians and wanted a little spending money. The Catholic Church, who all of us children had pedophile nicknames for, Father Feeler comes to mind, made such a huge deal about this and their threat to children. One day stands out as that was the day when I was hanging out with some friends one of whom was one of the little girls they decided to touch and a grown woman came up to us in the middle of the day and started yelling at her and us that she was a white trash slut who wanted to destroy the church. One of the girl’s older sisters and her friend told us to take off and started tearing into this woman. Shortly after that, the young victim’s family moved away as did other families for similar reasons. Now when I look at that picture above all I see is a bunch of people who would yell white trash slut at child victims of sexual interference. Maybe we could ask the children in all those MLAs ridings what kind of nicknames they might have for any adults in their area. I suspect the kids would be more honest now as we were when I was a kid.
You want to know the glue that keeps these the bigots together? Racism. Look at the headline photo closely and you won’t see a single person of colour.
Yes, it’s a remarkably Europid-appearing crowd.
Growing up, a gal in our grade was 7th day Adventist, or some sect that doesn’t allow medical intervention, such as vaccines. She grew up having had polio, was in a leg brace and had a permanently tilted head. Kids being cruel were cruel, based on her disability. She could have been running free had she been vsccinated, joining the pack.
If antivaxxers love freedom so much,why do they take it away. Especially from kids.
Good riddance 2027 to the lunatic fringe that is Smith’s ucp. Bring it home Nenshi!
MI: It can’t have been the Seventh Day Adventist Church you’re thinking of, since the SDA church, despite the oddities of leaning toward vegetarianism and celebrating the Sabbath on Saturday, is reputed to be the largest Protestant health care provider in the world, operating about 1,000 major hospitals in several countries. SDA doctrine otherwise seems pretty conventional. I think you must be thinking of Christian Science, founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1879. “… Adherents subscribe to a radical form of philosophical idealism, believing that reality is purely spiritual and the material world an illusion. This includes the view that disease is a mental error rather than physical disorder, and that the sick should be treated not by medicine but by a form of prayer that seeks to correct the beliefs responsible for the illusion of ill health,” says the Wikipedia, with citations. DJC
These aren’t conservatives, they are reactionaries. They will never have a coherent ideology, because it’s just a knee jerk response against “things they don’t like”
For example you’ll note that many of these people are “anti government” but they’re also pro police, because they hate BLM/ poor people/ social Justice activists who want to defund police in order to fund social services that actually reduce crime and disorder.
How them boots taste anyway UCP voters ?