Witness Testimony

James Lunney, a former chiropractor and five-term Member of Parliament, presented testimony focused on vitamin D3 and its relationship to COVID-19 outcomes. He argued that serum vitamin D levels, rather than racial categorization, better explain differential COVID-19 mortality patterns, particularly among darker-skinned populations living in northern latitudes. He stated that vitamin D plays a central role in immune regulation, inflammation management, and glucose metabolism, and that deficiency increases vulnerability to respiratory infections.
Lunney criticized Health Canada and the Institute of Medicine for what he described as a significant error in vitamin D intake recommendations, asserting that the recommended daily amounts were an order of magnitude too low. He cited research suggesting higher supplementation levels are required to achieve optimal blood concentrations and referenced studies and expert opinions recommending higher serum targets to reduce respiratory complications. He also stated that vitamin D testing is not publicly funded in some provinces, creating barriers to informed supplementation.
He further contended that early COVID-19 outbreaks in meat processing plants and urban centres disproportionately affected darker-skinned populations due to vitamin D deficiency rather than other demographic factors. He cited international studies and clinical reports linking low serum levels to severe infection and mortality. Lunney concluded that raising population vitamin D levels through supplementation and public health education could have significantly reduced COVID-19 deaths and should be prioritized in future pandemic preparedness strategies.