Witness Testimony

Liam Sturgess testified that he is a musician from West Vancouver who became involved with the Canadian Covid Care Alliance (CCCA) after observing online censorship of pandemic-related content. He volunteered his media skills and later served as secretary at the June 2022 “Citizens’ Hearing” in Toronto, which he described as a predecessor to the National Citizens Inquiry. Drawing from his notes, other volunteers’ documentation, and recorded testimony, he compiled the three-day hearing into a published book containing the full testimonies of approximately 60 participants.
He summarized several cases presented at that hearing, including a 14-year-old athlete who developed neurological symptoms and seizures allegedly linked to prolonged mask use during high-intensity training, a woman who reported blood clots and recurrent strokes following vaccination, and a pregnant woman who experienced seizure complications and stillbirth after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. He stated that many testimonies involved significant health, career, and social harms and that expert witnesses also participated in the event.
Sturgess further reflected on the broader impact of citizen hearings, suggesting that the Toronto event functioned as a proof of concept for subsequent inquiries such as the NCI. He described what he termed a “first follower effect,” whereby early public testimony encourages others to share their experiences despite fear of stigma or professional repercussions. He expressed hope that documenting these accounts would preserve names and stories for the public record and contribute to ongoing public dialogue.