Witness Testimony

Greg Hill testified that he served 20 years in the Canadian Armed Forces and later became a commercial airline pilot in 2006. During the federal aviation vaccine mandate period, he was removed from work for approximately one year and helped form Free to Fly Canada, an advocacy group representing aviation professionals and passengers affected by travel restrictions. He stated that the mandate required pilots to vaccinate or lose employment, and that concerns raised about long-term safety data were not meaningfully addressed by regulators, unions, or airline management.
Hill explained that aviation historically maintains strict medical oversight, including annual or semi-annual in-person medical exams with electrocardiograms under Canadian Aviation Regulations. During the pandemic, however, Transport Canada extended medical certificates and introduced telemedical renewals, allowing pilots to go up to 36 months without an in-person examination. He testified that this shift contradicted long-standing aviation safety culture, which prioritizes objective screening over self-attestation. He further stated that a longstanding Transport Canada website statement noting that medical trials were incompatible with aviation certification was removed during mandate discussions.
He testified that he received calls from pilots reporting potential vaccine-related symptoms such as chest pain, vision issues, hearing changes, and neurological complaints, but expressed concern that pilots may be reluctant to disclose symptoms for fear of losing their medical certification and livelihood. Hill stated that Free to Fly Canada and international aviation groups sent letters to Transport Canada requesting data on adverse event tracking and pilot health monitoring, but received only general assurances that vaccines were “safe and effective.” He concluded that continued reliance on telemedical certification until 2025 represents a departure from aviation’s safety-first principles and poses unresolved risk management concerns.