Witness Testimony

Michael Welch testified that for 11 years prior to COVID-19, his nationally syndicated campus radio program, Global Research News Hour, focused on investigative topics often overlooked by mainstream media and had received awards and positive recognition. When the pandemic began, he continued his established approach by interviewing credentialed experts who questioned prevailing narratives, including Sucharit Bhakdi, Meryl Nass, Jane Orient, and Peter McCullough. He testified that efforts to organize balanced debates were unsuccessful because mainstream-aligned experts refused participation, and that dissenting guests were characterized as fringe despite substantial credentials.
Welch stated that after broadcasting COVID-critical content, listener complaints increased and a March 2021 article in a Vancouver newspaper labeled his program as linked to “pandemic conspiracy theories.” Following this media attention, CJSF radio in Vancouver temporarily suspended the program, which he testified has effectively become permanent, and additional stations subsequently dropped the show. He described submitting a detailed defense letter to the station arguing for open debate and freedom of dissenting speech but received no response.
He further testified that a board representative explicitly told him the station needed to align with the government narrative and that doctors “across the board” supported official policy. Welch described this as unprecedented in his career and indicative of broader pressures within journalism to conform. He concluded that dissenting viewpoints are increasingly labeled as misinformation rather than debated openly and expressed concern that independent journalism in Canada faces growing structural suppression.