Paul Champ, a human rights and labor lawyer based in Ottawa, spoke to CBC News about the lawsuit filed last fall by three Ontario nurses. Kristen Nagle of London, Kristal Pitter of Tillsonburg and Sarah Choujounian of Toronto have been investigated by the province’s nursing regulator for allegedly spreading medical misinformation and conspiracy theories on social media. They are seeking $1 million in damages for “embarrassment and humiliation” over separate online editorials published by the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) and BC Together News Inc. (TNI). Champ, an attorney for Together News Inc., argues that instead of seeking legal justice, the plaintiffs are trying to use the court system for an ulterior motive.
Media, CNA want lawsuit dropped
“[They’re] they try to suppress anyone and attack anyone who disagrees with them, but they also try to use it as a platform to draw attention to their cause and find a forum in which they can try to perpetuate their discredited theories.” Paul Champ, a human rights and labor lawyer based in Ottawa, represents Together News Inc. in a lawsuit by three Ontario nurses. (champlaw.ca) Nagle, Pitter and Choujounian are key members of Canadian Frontline Nurses (CFN), a group that fights against conventional medical wisdom through gatherings and retailing alternative health practices and related merchandise. Champ said the legal action brought by the nurses and CFN is a SLAPP, which stands for strategic lawsuit against public participation, a legal maneuver often used by the rich and powerful to intimidate, silence and/or bankrupt opponents. Both TNI and CNA have filed motions under Ontario’s anti-SLAPP laws seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed on the grounds that it is abusive and seeks to stifle free speech, Champ said. “We hope the court will agree with us on this.”
Anti-vaxx Doctors’ $12 Million Lawsuit Dismissed
A group of journalists and doctors recently used Ontario law to seek a $12 million lawsuit from a group of fired anti-vaccine doctors. They had launched the lawsuit after being criticized on social media for spreading misinformation about the pandemic. Protesters in Calgary held signs at a rally in September 2021 that compared the plight of Jewish Holocaust victims to workers whose employers required them to get vaccinated for COVID-19. The comparison drew condemnation from politicians, people in the Jewish community and others. (Anis Heydari/CBC) Champ said special interest groups that peddle medical misinformation are learning that Canada’s justice system cannot be used to silence critics. They are inherently irrational people, I think. They resort to the courts to try to further their cause.- Paul Champ, lawyer in Ottawa “They’re inherently irrational people, I think. They go to court to try to further their cause. I think what we’ve seen so far and what we’re going to see in the future is that I don’t think the courts are going to be a very welcoming forum for them”. In defense briefs, both TNI and CNA said they stand by their separate articles published online last fall in the wake of protests against the order that erupted outside hospitals across Canada. CNA argues that it had a duty to make the statement on September 9, 2021, titled “Enough is enough: professional nurses stand up for scientific health care,” to express public support for health care workers who have been “harassed, discouraged, threatened or attacked’ during protests, some organized by the CFN. TNI said in its editorial, “Good! Coke! These pro-virus nurses have dangerous ideas.” should be considered fair comment and truth, saying that his staff worked “diligently to verify the allegations.”
“Why do they choose my clients?”
Champ said that while other media outlets have reported on the plaintiffs, TNI appears to stand out in the lawsuit. “It’s notable that the CBC and other major news organizations have published stories very similar to Together News and for whatever reason this group [CFN] he doesn’t go after these organizations.” Registered nurses Kristal Pitter, Kristen Nagle and Sara Choujounian in Ontario, left to right, faced discipline from the province’s nursing regulator for social media posts during the COVID-19 pandemic. They sued their trade association and a BC media company. (CBC News) “Together News is not a big organization,” he said. “Why do they choose my clients?” Alexander Boissonneau-Lehner, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, told CBC News in an email that he was unable to comment on the case. “It would be inappropriate for me to comment on either our clients’ claims or the defendants’ claims pending before the court,” he wrote. The nurses claim that after the publication of the separate articles they suffered “ridicule, hatred and contempt”, damage to their personal and professional reputation, as well as “humiliation” and “great emotional distress”. All three women have been investigated by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) for allegedly spreading misinformation about the pandemic, the effectiveness of masks and the COVID-19 vaccine. All three are eligible to practice in the province without restrictions, according to Ontario’s nursing regulator.
