Witness Testimony

Lisa Bernard testified that she worked as a registered nurse in British Columbia for 31 years, specializing in wound, ostomy, and incontinence care. After receiving one COVID-19 injection, she reported persistent shoulder pain, loss of range of motion, decreased hand strength, and “trigger finger” symptoms affecting both hands. She stated these impairments interfered with the fine motor skills required for her specialty. She described feeling that her concerns about the new vaccine technology were dismissed by colleagues and management and testified that she felt pressured rather than freely consenting to the injection.
Bernard further testified that during pandemic restrictions, hospital operations differed from media portrayals, describing periods of low inpatient volume followed by surges after lockdowns lifted. She reported experiencing moral distress related to workload demands, documentation responsibilities, and perceived lack of managerial support. She ultimately went on stress leave and was diagnosed with PTSD. While on leave, she stated she experienced repeated contact from a disability manager and received notice of a provincial mandate requiring a second injection. She refused a second dose, citing ongoing physical symptoms and concern for her health.
She testified that she relocated to Northern Vancouver Island, left the nursing profession, and allowed her professional registration to lapse after missing renewal communications sent to her work email. She stated that she filed a union grievance but remains in arbitration without resolution. Bernard described significant financial loss, a transition to farming and herbology studies, and a shift away from allopathic medicine. She characterized her experience as involving pressure, coercion, and loss of professional identity, and stated that she believes the injection caused her ongoing physical impairments.