Interview with GC employee who applied to MAiD after his Religious Exemption was denied (VIDEO).

More to come...

Links used in the interview:

• Medical assistance in dying: Overview, https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-services-benefits/medical-assistance-dying.html

• The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), News & Issues, https://pipsc.ca/news-issues.

Related substack issues:

• New Lead for US National Institute of Health (NIH) Nominated by Trump - Dr. Bhattacharya: What Could This Mean for Fauci, Biden, and Canadian Government Professionals? Expect more scrutiny over pandemic measures and more open scientific debate!

• 2024 PIPSC AGM: Resolutions authored and seconded by Dmitry

• I was not elected, but what we achieved is remarkable. Thank you all who supported me throughout the campaign! - I will continue advocating for your concerns

---

Interview (YouTube VIDEO)

Watch with subtitles. Transcript and additional references are provided below.

Transcript & References:

Hello everyone. I will be having a discussion with my Government of Canada employee who incidentally lives in the same neighbourhood with me here close to the Ottawa River in Ottawa, and he will share with us his story, and the story is such that it really left me thinking about how the world is … what's going on here essentially in Canada and what we can do to help each other. So how would you like to be introduced please? So let's just start with your name.

Thank you my name is Jacob Beaulieu and I'm a government employee and I've been working with the government for over a decade. okay so thank you Jacob and we will tell you later why I asked him about his name because he changed his name at some point of his life.

So, Jacob you shared with me your story let's start from the affidavit which you shared with me that describes your religious beliefs and why you could not comply with the mandatory vaccination policy. [[ I will start sharing my screen here. I'll just make it bigger. ]] So we are in October 2021 and the Government of Canada have just announced that everyone will need to be fully vaccinated or be placed on leave without pay unless they apply for exemption - right - on medical reasons or religious reasons and now we know that many people who applied for the exemptions - more than 75% of those - get their exemptions denied. And this is one of those applications for an exemption based on religious belief. So Jacob can you please read it for us.

Yes absolutely. I hereby assert my right to a religious exemption I am a Christian who believes in the Bible. God created me with an immune system and I will not alter his design it is a sin against my god-given conscience to allow unwanted infusions intrusions pardon me into my body which is a temple of the Holy Spirit I follow God and the principles laid out in his word specifically the New Testament teaches that "do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in you ? whom you have received from God ? you are not your own" that's Corinthians 6:19. It is a God-given responsibility and requirement for me to protect the physical Integrity of my body. I make this request for the glory of God and consistent with my faith. thank you.

So to make the story short. That was in October 2021 and Jacob understood that he will not be able to allow this foreign substance to be injected into his body. So he has taken leave without pay and he has lived without pay for many months, like many other Government of Canada employees. He lost all income. Family. And Jacob can you please tell me now what has happened to you after you were placed on leave without pay? What happened in your life? And just quickly lead us to your moment in May, or more exactly on the June the 6th, when you have contacted MAiD program to "die with dignity", because you have decided that you can no longer live under such conditions and you would like to end your life.

Well I didn't really like to do that but I understand what you mean. I was taking any olive branch I could find. So initially I thought okay well let's apply for this religious exemption but also to protect myself let me also apply for leave without pay for personal reasons, as I strongly believed that everyone under leave without pay for vaccine mandate were going to be terminated. So as a way to protect myself under duress and extreme stress I thought perhaps a better strategy would be to apply for a leave without pay for personal reasons, which is a process I was completely unfamiliar with, but at the same time in tandem submit my religious exemption in hopes that the religious exemption would be approved or recognized and I would have immediately canceled my leave without pay for personal reasons as I would have been exempted from this very questionable medical intervention that carries a lot of risks.

Unfortunately, the religious exemption was essentially ignored and effectively denied which led to this extended period without income, which then subsequently caused my marriage to fall apart. it then then I was unable to maintain um affording the home I was in, and so that just there was just a lot of feelings of loss I was extremely disappointed about the divorce that I was going through as this vaccine mandate highlighted that my ex-wife at the time and I were not on the same page about what was going on in the world and I was not willing to compromise my beliefs.

Unfortunately despite my repeated requests to my employer to get updates about my religious exemption, I was not getting any answers and so this ultimately led to in June the 6th to decide that you know what it seems like this is never going to and the restrictions upon those who are not vaccinated are just getting increasingly worse and and and living in society where I'm treated as a subhuman with my freedoms to um not only travel but just to enter public establishments my sense of community was completely lost as I was getting death threats from complete strangers simply because I wasn't wearing a mask for you know if I'm walking my dog for instance was completely heartbreaking and so that's why ...

And then following that in May 2022 May towards the end of May like around May 30th I I understood that the Union's position had been updated to from instead of supporting the vaccine mandate they were no longer supporting it so I believe that okay okay well maybe this is another olive branch, another way to get away from this feeling of of essentially drowning in these sorrows I was experiencing. And unfortunately their response ultimately was also very discouraging despite their change in position their their responses were very discouraging and did not give me a sense of any sort of of solution or remediation or anything like that. So yes I decided that you know what that's it I can't do this anymore I don't want to be part of this world that forces injections upon people to be part of society.

So you've told me you have contacted your union PIPSC (Professional Institute of Public Servants in Canada), of which I'm a member of as well. You contacted them on May the 30th and very quickly you got reply from them but from that reply you understood they are not here to help you to file grievance against your employer because you questioned the reasonableness of the vaccination mandate, correct?

Well, they were willing to file the grievance however they essentially said: we'll file it but you basically have no chance of this working in your favour. So it was very discouraging. It did not instill a feeling of this wrong being righted. It essentially felt like, well, we can go through this paper exercise, but basically there's no real chance of you getting any sort of backpay or compensation that was caused by the significant economic and emotional harm that was caused. So it was extremely disappointing. And I couldn't believe it. I thought this was a very clear case. Not only did it cause economic and emotional harm. It imposed unauthorized changes to my employment contract. It also forced disclosure of personal medical information. So I don't understand how the union could take such a position. It undermined the union itself. It really felt as though the union was there to protect the employer instead of the employees or union members.

So a few days later you decided that it's very hard for you to continue living the way you were living in that time and you contacted Medical Assistance in Dying. Can you tell us more about this experience? How have you heard about this program and why did you even decide to reach them? It's very hard for me just to think of the feelings which were inside your heart which would have led you to look into this page and try to to get in contact with them. Can you please tell us more about these your final days before you decided to reach for their assistance in helping you to "die with dignity" as they say?

Yes, yes and the more I learned I realized there's not a lot of dignity involved in this process. But at the time this program MAiD was highly publicized since the Trudeau government was elected. There's a lot of talk about first setting up this program. From my understanding, it wasn't really available before that, and expanding it - to include more and more people to be eligible and also to make it a um an easier process to to um to go through and uh so you know if it wasn't for the news or publicizing it

I most likely would not have been aware of it and the the weeks and months and days leading up to my decision to contact them to follow through on this process to end my own life was a result of of the vaccine mandates leading to my leave without pay period which then led to the failure of my marriage and then the loss of my home and then moving back with my mother at you know as a as an as a adult and then yeah it just it was getting… And the the society I was surrounded in that was very discouraging that was as I mentioned I was getting just death threats if I was walking my dog downtown and I wasn't wearing a mask and I thought that was completely absurd and yeah I hope I'm answering your question.

I am putting on the screen right now About page about MAiD program. So it says that this is a process that allows someone who is found eligible. Now, did they find you are eligible or can you tell us more about What was the process when you contacted them by email and how quickly they got back to you and what were the next steps they offered for you?

Yes, so I contacted them on June 6th since I was not getting any support from Pipsc. And their response was very quick. I had no longer a family doctor at the time either. Because of the vaccine mandate, my family doctor at the time required this covid vaccination to even see them. So at that point I didn't even feel supported by my family doctor anymore. They said: No problem we can find you a doctor to sign off on the forms, however the eligibility for mental health reasons was push back to March 17 2023. So my belief at the time was okay well I have this waiting period so to speak and I hope that I don't fall for temptations to find my own ways to end my own life until this March 17th 2023 eligibility date was going to be enacted for those suffering from mental health. And thankfully I see it as a protection from God that I did not, despite thinking and planning my own death by my own means. I did not follow through on this, because shortly thereafter on June 14th 2022 the Government of Canada announced that they will be temporarily suspending the vaccine mandate on June 20th 2022 and that unvaccinated employees can return to work . So this was a great sign of relief. However the damage in my personal life, this incredible damage was already done but I was relieved to find out that it's at least temporarily suspended. However I was definitely deeply concerned that they may bring it back and reimpose this requirement so I was still under a lot of stress

It's really so, I understand what you're talking about this stress which continued beyond June when they suspended it. It would have been much better if they, instead of suspending it, would have just rescinded it. It would have given so much hope for many people like yourself to see that they can continue living normal.

But let's get back to this process which you went through. On their front page they say only medical practitioners are permitted to conduct assessment and to provide medical assistance in dying. So in your case you mentioned you didn't have anyfamily medical doctor. So how did they suggest you address this assessment, because you do need to be assessed, right? So what were the steps they suggested?

From my recollection at the time, it was a very straightforward process you know as by the March 17 2023 date they would assign me a doctor themselves uh to do this assessment it it felt I would say it was scary how easy it felt um to go through this process uh despite the delay to March 17th the process felt very streamlined and I would say for something as as serious as ending your life it was it was even too efficient I would say. It was the feeling I received.

So you contacted them by email on June the 6th, when did they get back to you ? I would have to look at my email history but I recall that it was you know within a matter of a couple of days it was very quick and uh they were very responsive. Now, did they tell you about the procedure ? I'm reading from their web page you know there are couple of methods which they could use . Did you have a chance already to talk about that yet or it was left for your next visit?

Yes, so exactly. So we did not get into those details as the the date was pushed to, the date of Eligibility was pushed to March 17 2023. I essentially just put a a reminder to contact them later around that date to get those details. So those details at the time were not discussed. I just kind of put that idea on hold and I started more I was already thinking about them but I was thinking even more of my my own ways of accomplishing this, this end of life. It's it's very difficult to talk about.

So I'm so happy you eventually were able to get back to work and continue working. So thank you very much for sharing your story. If you would have an opportunity to talk to Union employment relationship officers, whom you were contacting at that time, or anyone in the upper management or administrations of the Union, what would you suggest them to do? Let's say this could happen again - there could be another pandemic or another calamity, another something announced and the government will decide something with no choice given to anyone - you just have to do it or we will remove you from society just like they've done it for people who didn't comply with - yes - vaccination policy. What would you suggest? How would you suggest to tackle it? If you were part of the Union yourself, part of the executive board, how would you handle it yourself?

I mean it seems obvious to me and it was shocking that this was not the approach taken and you know I still hold on hope that they will take this approach at some point and that would be to protect union members rights, ensure that there's a safe working environment.

It should be mentioned that I was a full-time remote worker even prior to any sort of lockdowns. So I posed zero risk to anyone.

• Note: May 2024. Canada Post vs. PSAC. Judge: Mandates for unvaccinated working remotely was "unreasonable" - https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/canada-post-wrong-to-suspend-unvaccinated-remote-workers-during-covid-ruling

So I would essentially protect workers rights by reaffirming their rights to religious freedom and their rights to bodily autonomy and their ability to make choices especially medical choices for themselves.

If again it were up to you to change the Pipsc website, Which other topics do you think should be listed here as the topics of which Union is extremely concerned about? [[ And I will open this website right now. There, if you go to Pipsc website, you can see the issues which are of importance to Union and I'm sharing my screen right now, let's go to English version. You can go to News and Issues. Here you see they have news and issues: outsourcing, tax fairness, phoenix pay system, defending public science, human rights and diversity, return to workplaces, standing up for northern nurses, Artificial Intelligence. ]]

Well, obviously I would say number one should be the covid-19 mandates and how it affected their union members and how they're to support them and help them, find a solution to this horrible thing that was done to people. I thankfully did not follow through on ending my own life and I have no plans to do so anymore thankfully. I'm still recovering from all the loss that has happened but I would imagine there are some people that did follow through unfortunately [See references below].

And I would want Pipsc to take a strong stance against any sort of mandatory medical intervention, especially with such high risk of side effects. And since they did not do that unfortunately, I believe they they owe an apology to all their members for taking such a employer focused stance on this issue. So I would love to see a news or issue about an apology and that they understand that it was the wrong position to protect the employer above their own members.

I'm opening the page where Pipsc explicitly states that it supports vaccination for federal employees. It would be very good to know how the decision was made. It would be nice if Pipsc were able to provide minutes or proof of how they arrived to this decision. But you would see that they support vaccination. Vaccination is a way to save members from potentially a deadly disease. So what I'm thinking, maybe a better way of calling this issue is not Vaccination Mandate or Covid Mandate but something like Fundamental Rights or maybe Bodily Autonomy? Maybe Religious Rights?

But one thing which I found peculiar is how they define religion. Religion in many cases to them is something which is supported by paper or by statement from a church. But to me, as to many people, a religion is more than just going to a church. It's something which person believes very deeply in their heart. It's part of Enlightenment, seeing yourself as a spiritual being, as opposed to an animal, and who tries to get closer to God by doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong.

And it appears that the current definition of religion and religion exemption based on some proof from a church is completely out of context of what true religion and spirituality is about. And to me, I think this is really where the union, not only pipsc but any union, should really put much more attention. People (yes) are spiritual beings and each of us have our own way to move towards enlightenment or be closer to God (yes). And we don’t need to prove it with a piece of paper. That's the key point. And the very fact that they don't have it listed anywhere here is, to be honest, quite disturbing.

You're absolutely correct, that would cover, that would have covered this issue and potentially many others. So that is a great way to approach this. I would I totally agree.

And I should clarify as well that it should be a choice - there's no issue with supporting vaccination as long as it's a personal choice.

I fully agree with you. It's, it has been always the case for anyone going to any medical procedure. It depends on your emotional state, on your spiritual way of living. So of course this is the key component I think in any relationship between humans: human and human, employer and employees, and also employees and the union. We should really I think prioritize the importance of supporting us as humans as spiritual beings over any other matters, compared to any other matters.

So I will do my best to push this item this issue forward. I'm talking here only on behalf of myself I'm not representing here any board, even though I am a member of the executive board for the national capital region. But again I'm here just representing myself - a Canadian of Ukrainian origin, a data scientist and just a community member who would like my community to be supportive of each other and and not ever face situation like you have faced by anyone, anyone ever in our community. Luckily, we live in the same neighbourhood as I have mentioned. We can go for a walk with you and you can share with me your story. But I wonder how many other people are in other neighbourhoods are who have been removed from the society, ostracized, bullied, traumatized by what has been done?

And we have to look into the how [this was done] - the technology, the mechanism which led you and many other people to arrive to this very difficult state of mind. We could see mass media. We could see government messages which were aimed to create create hostility, to create intolerance of other opinions, to reject people who think differently entirely, not just reject but disallow their existence all together, not to allow them anywhere.

And now, of course, we see that many of those statements were wrong related to vaccines. It doesn't stop the spread of the infection. And I invite people to look into the presentations from new cabinet of Trump. I'm talking about the US president-elect Donald Trump who has nominated people for key positions in CDC and National Institute of Health and FDA. All those people right now are clearly stating that many things which have been stated before by the previous administration were not right about vaccines, about mandates, about lockdowns.

• [See also US House of Representatives COVID-19 Pandemic Committee Final Report, published 4 DEC 2024, and National Citizens Inquiry Commissioners Final Report, published 28 NOV 2023]

So there was a lot of suppression of truth, suppression of narratives which went contrary to the government narratives and which, in fact, could have saved lives if we had allowed those alternative views to be discussed.

So Jacob thank you very much. Maybe the last think which you can say that you have changed your name. Maybe just you can mention why you decided to do that ? You don't need to mention your previous name, just tell us about this - also an interesting way of going out, going to the next stage, starting a new life. How did you arrive to this decision?

Exactly. Yes, I mean there I hold no shame about my previous name. At time, as mentioned, I was suffering from severe depression to the point of wanting to end my own life. Upon hearing that the vaccine mandates were being temporarily suspended, this offered a ray of hope, however small it was, and I made a plan to return to work at the time. I felt completely depressed and I was seeing various therapists at the time and for one reason or another, the only thing that I felt motivated to do to start a new life is to change my name. And I definitely feel like instead of ending my own life or killing myself I would just I would kill the old me so to speak and start a not just a new chapter but a whole new book of My Life by changing my name. And this was the only thing I felt motivated to do at the time you know. I had thousands of emails in my in my inbox that were not addressed and I couldn't look at them, it was just so heavy and going through the process of changing my name was the only thing I felt motivated or had any energy to put forth towards. And it worked because after changing my name I felt okay. Now I can start working on the backlog and reintegrate myself into the workforce essentially.

This is a very good ending I think for this story. And perhaps this could be a example or advise, if we can say so, for anyone who goes through such difficult decisions in their life. Maybe indeed you don't need to end your physical body, damage your spiritual life but think of alternative ways to start a new life. Just, maybe name change would just do it.

So please, everyone, never feel alone. There are people around you who will be able to help you. If Union is not helping you, reach out for neighbours around you. Try to find a telegram group where you will find lots of people who are going through the same challenges. But don't let yourself, your own thoughts kill you. This is not what humans should be even thinking about. We should be thinking about how to overcome challenges, how to help each other, and maybe you could help someone else who's experiencing similar challenges.

So again Jacob thank you so much for sharing your story. I'm not sure how much of it will be actually put for public viewing. But we're doing our best, you know. I do what I can, you do what you can. And let's hope nothing like what you've experienced in October 2021 - 2023 will ever happen. People really should not feel like their basic human rights are being taken from them by their employer and Union is not helping them to defend those rights. So thank you again very much.

Thank you very much. I'd like to also mention the name change process again another process I was completely unfamiliar with was surprisingly accessible and easy to go through. So definitely if my story, I'm sharing it now with the hopes of helping other people, that there's always a way and as you mentioned to seek out community through social media platforms. But that was another thing. At the time there was heavy censorship on social media platforms but there are other avenues. And you never should think about ending your own life. And if that means starting a new life under a new name that is definitely a great option relatively to making a final decision.

Very well said. So I'll see you around. Maybe we'll again go for for a walk and talk about other things you're doing now in your life.

So thank you, thank you Dmitry.
Bye now.

Interview conducted via ZOOM in Ottawa, Ontario, in November 2024.

---

PS: ‘Wish you well’ Christmas Card and Next Steps

I gave Jacob a gift card that I had received for my birthday from my NCR Executive Board colleagues. It felt like a meaningful way to show that we all care. They were the first people with whom I shared Jacob’s story, and it reinforced my belief that together, we can support members like Jacob and ensure no one feels abandoned—that every life matters.

I look forward to updating you soon on the many ideas and initiatives I am proposing to the NCR Executive Board to address the critical issues highlighted by Jacob’s experience.

Addendum: Evidence and References

Evidence of hate and aggression experienced by Jacob:

Click on image to play it:

Additional References provided by Jacob (To be updated - he told me)

On MAiD:

• Canada under Trudeau is the euthanasia capital of the world.
  https://www.statista.com/chart/28130/assisted-suicide-numbers/

• MAiD procedure explained (The Horrifying Truth Behind MAID They Aren't Telling You by Jordan Peterson) YouTube 13 mins)

• Canadian deaths are on the RISE from MAiD. (This is sickening): YouTube (24 mins)

On tragedies and suffering caused by the Vaccination Mandate on good people.

• Funeral Insider's Account of Rising Suicides and Death Spike Amidst Lockdowns and 'Vaccination' Rollout:
  https://rairfoundation.com/funeral-insiders-account-of-rising-suicides-and-death-spike-amidst-lockdowns-and-vaccination-rollout-video/

On Compensasions for those who suffered form the Vaccination Mandate

• Catholic Woman Awarded Over $12 Million After Termination for Refusing COVID Vaccine:
  https://www.lawyer-monthly.com/2024/11/catholic-woman-awarded-over-12-million-after-termination-for-refusing-covid-vaccine/

---

Disclaimer: This newsletter is published by Dmitry Gorodnichy, a 2024 candidate for the PIPSC Vice President (part-time). It does not represent an official position of The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC). For all details related to Dmitry’s involvement with the Union please go to his Electoral Platform Portal: www.gorodnichy.ca/dmitry.