Witness Testimony

Patrick Allard testified that he owns a Winnipeg-based renovation company and began publicly opposing COVID restrictions in early 2020 after observing business closures, nursing home isolation, and school shutdowns. He organized his first rally at the Manitoba Legislature on May 9, 2020, and stated that media outlets labeled participants as extremists. He described becoming a visible organizer of ongoing protests and mental health rallies aimed at countering isolation, stating that he temporarily paused his business to advocate for individuals he believed were unfairly harmed by lockdown measures.
He testified that he received his first public health ticket on November 4, 2020, for participating in an outdoor gathering of approximately 30 people. Over time, he received multiple additional tickets related to gatherings and mask violations and was later arrested as part of what became known as the “Manitoba Five.” He described being jailed, placed under bail conditions prohibiting the promotion of gatherings, and later re-arrested after a Facebook post calling for protest action near a Winnipeg Blue Bombers football game. He testified that plainclothes officers from a major crimes unit executed the arrest, which he said caused emotional distress to his young daughter.
Allard further testified that enforcement was selectively applied, stating that protests opposing COVID measures resulted in tickets and arrests, whereas other public demonstrations were permitted without enforcement. He referenced Charter challenges to Manitoba’s health orders, including arguments related to outdoor transmission evidence and PCR testing accuracy raised in the Gateway case. He concluded that governments should have followed a focused protection approach similar to the Great Barrington Declaration rather than imposing broad restrictions, and expressed concern about potential recurrence of similar measures in the future.