Witness Testimony

Mark Friesen testified that he organized and promoted protests in Saskatchewan beginning in June 2020 in opposition to COVID-19 mandates, which he viewed as unjustified limitations on Charter rights. He stated that he received multiple fines totaling thousands of dollars for alleged violations of gathering restrictions, and that some fines were increased during court proceedings. He characterized the enforcement and judicial responses as failures to demonstrably justify limitations under Section 1 of the Charter and argued that a significant portion of Canadians lacked political representation during the pandemic.
In September 2021, after attending a political event during a federal election campaign, Friesen contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized with severe respiratory distress. He described initially refusing ventilation, later being placed in a medically induced coma, and developing large blood clots in his lungs. He testified that a physician informed his wife that a decision to transfer him to Ontario was made for reasons unrelated to his medical condition. He was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, where he reported receiving stronger antibiotic treatment and blood thinners, which he believes could have been administered earlier in Saskatchewan.
Friesen stated that he spent approximately five weeks in a coma and continues to experience reduced lung capacity due to scarring and fibrosis. He expressed the view that early treatments such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were not made available and that political considerations influenced aspects of his care. He concluded by advocating for constitutional amendments to recognize rights as derived from the will of the people and to limit governmental authority to suspend Charter protections during emergencies.