Witness Testimony

Kristen Nagle, a neonatal intensive care nurse licensed since 2006, testified regarding her opposition to COVID-19 public health measures and mandates within hospital settings. She described mask and PPE requirements imposed in 2020 despite a prior union victory challenging mandatory masking during flu season. She detailed visitor restrictions in NICU units, including limits on parental presence during childbirth and extended hospital stays, and expressed concern about developmental and psychological harms to infants and families.
Nagle stated that after speaking publicly at municipal meetings and organizing rallies about mask policies and child welfare concerns, she was suspended from employment in November 2020 and subsequently terminated in early 2021 following attendance at a January 6, 2021 rally in Washington, D.C. She testified that she was investigated by the College of Nurses of Ontario, received numerous summonses under the Reopening Ontario Act, was fined for attending a church service, and faced multiple ongoing legal proceedings. She also reported being labeled a domestic extremist, receiving threats, and being subject to media defamation.
She described co-founding Global Frontline Nurses and Canadian Frontline Nurses, participating in national hospital protests, and engaging in litigation related to the federal invocation of the Emergencies Act. Nagle testified that regulatory bodies restricted nurses from speaking publicly against public health measures and expressed concern about professional discipline, financial penalties, and diminished confidence in the legal and regulatory system.