Demonstrations planned outside Canadian hospitals on Monday; one in Winnipeg
Posted September 12, 2021 11:20 am.
Last Updated September 12, 2021 10:14 pm.
Hospitals across the country are preparing for a day of protest on Monday with demonstrations against pandemic protocols expected to hamper access to healthcare facilities, including one in Manitoba.
The group Canadian Frontline Nurses is planning what it calls a silent protest against mandates in all 10 provinces.
Protesters are slated to gather outside Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre, according to a poster shared by the organizers on their website.
A second event poster circulating suggests the meeting location may have changed to the legislative building. That poster says protesters are planning to march down Broadway Street toward city hall.
It’s not clear which of the two meeting points is correct.
After vaccine passports were announced in several provinces, similar protests held across the country blocked access to ambulances and other medical services.
That prompted the Canadian medical association to release a statement calling the demonstrations “wrong and unacceptable.”
“The health-care workers who have worked tirelessly for months on end are being bullied and harassed for doing their jobs. This is wrong and unacceptable – full stop,” read a portion of the statement.
ICU physician Dr. Michael Warner says while people are entitled to make their voices heard, his hope is that the authorities will not tolerate any form of harassment.
“If you have something to say, tell your elected officials, go to the legislature. Use whatever other means are necessary to make your voice heard. But leave the hospital alone, leave the patients alone, and let the healthcare workers continue to do their work unencumbered,” he says in a tweet.
Hospitals are not the place for anti-vaccination protests. pic.twitter.com/ymeYiustTH
— Michael Warner (@drmwarner) September 11, 2021
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