Witness Testimony

Catherine Christensen, a lawyer representing Canadian Armed Forces members and founder of the Valour Legal Action Centre, testified regarding the implementation and consequences of the CAF COVID-19 vaccine mandate introduced in October 2021. She stated that she represents approximately 360 serving members and veterans and has communicated with thousands more. She described the mandate as being implemented through a series of directives rather than under section 126 of the National Defence Act, which would have required court martial proceedings to determine reasonable refusal. She asserted that this approach avoided independent judicial review and resulted in inconsistent enforcement across the chain-of-command.
Ms. Christensen testified that religious and medical accommodations were largely denied despite sworn affidavits and chaplain support in some cases. She described remedial measures, 5F release classifications, and administrative actions that she characterized as punitive and stigmatizing. She alleged that some military medical personnel were discouraged from formally reporting vaccine injuries and that official injury statistics underreported adverse events. She further stated that grievances filed by members ultimately return to the Chief of Defence Staff as final authority, limiting perceived impartial review.
She estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 personnel were lost through resignation, release, or other administrative outcomes following the mandate, which she argued significantly weakened operational readiness and morale. She described a breakdown of trust within the chain-of-command and characterized the mandate as having long-term institutional consequences. Among proposed reforms, she recommended creation of an independent Inspector General outside the chain-of-command, strengthened whistleblower protections, comprehensive health coverage for injured members, mandatory injury tracking, and legislative review of section 126 of the National Defence Act.