Witness Testimony

Leigh Vossen testified that she enrolled in Business Administration at Red River College in January 2021 after leaving her job as a graphic designer. She completed three terms online without issue. Prior to her fourth and final semester, the college moved her program to in-person instruction and required proof of vaccination to attend campus. As an unvaccinated student, she requested alternative online access but testified that her course registration portal was temporarily frozen and available online sections filled before she could register. She chose not to complete the final semester, stating she could not support what she viewed as discriminatory policies.
In response to what she described as administrative refusal to discuss data supporting mandates, she created the Instagram account “Students Against Mandates,” which evolved into a Canada-wide non-profit organization. She testified to receiving hundreds of detailed messages from students, professors, administrators, and others reporting feelings of isolation, coercion, denied exemptions, job loss, and vaccine injuries. She described hosting in-person meetups and community gatherings to support affected students and stated that some contacts reported mental health deterioration and rising suicide concerns at post-secondary institutions.
Vossen further testified that her activism led to significant backlash, including media articles labeling her an extremist, loss of friendships, employment discrimination during job interviews, online harassment, death threats, and a break-in at her residence shortly after her address was publicly shared. Despite these experiences, she stated that founding Students Against Mandates provided community and purpose during the pandemic. She concluded that mandates represented unjust segregation and coercion, and that institutions failed to provide data justifying their policies.