Tory MP Says Vaccine Injuries Inquiry Will Have the Benefit of Hindsight

The Conservative MP leading an inquiry into vaccine-related injuries said now that the climate around COVID-19 is less politically charged, it will make it easier for participants to share their stories.

Dean Allison, the member of Parliament for Niagara West, announced on June 4 he will hold hearings in September on Parliament Hill to capture the testimony of people who say they were injured by COVID-19 vaccines.

With four years having elapsed since federal and provincial vaccine mandates were lifted, Allison said it’s not too late to hold discussions on the matter, which could benefit from hindsight.

“I think we were very close to it back then—too close,” Allison told The Epoch Times in an interview, referencing the charged political climate surrounding COVID-19 vaccination at the height of the pandemic.

“We’ve now had a couple years since then,” he said, adding that some at the time might have been hesitant to publicly discuss vaccine injuries.

The inquiry itself is not government-supported, but Allison said it will take place on Parliament Hill, within rooms typically used for House of Commons committee meetings.

“I almost guarantee you, there’s not an MP in this country that hasn’t heard a private conversation, hasn’t heard somebody come to their office” about vaccine injuries, Allison said. “This gives us a chance to talk about it publicly in a public setting.”

Allison said his inquiry will be different than the citizen group-led National Citizens Inquiry (NCI), which touched on various aspects of the COVID-19 era, with experts in vaccine technology, legal theory, and media testifying.

Allison said there was still a “chill in the air” during the NCI proceedings, with some people afraid to lose their job by testifying openly.

The MP says the response so far has been “overwhelming,” with his social media posts on the topic getting increasing engagement.

Not all has been positive, with one Liberal MP calling the inquiry “disgraceful,” saying that vaccine hesitancy caused 3,000 deaths.

“Now a Conservative MP is continuing to fuel vaccine hesitancy through misinformation and fear mongering,” Liberal MP Doug Eyolfson said in a June 4 X post, in response to the inquiry announcement. Eyolfson, a physician, is the MP for the Winnipeg West riding.

Allison responded in posts of his own, saying that the Liberal government itself “admitted that tens of thousands were COVID-19 vaccine injured,” and has established the Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP). He said Eyolfson’s post “mocks” people “who have been desperate to share their stories.”

“I pushed back pretty hard because, quite frankly, we’re hearing people’s stories,” said Allison. The MP said his office is hearing from people from across the country who’ve had difficulty accessing VISP.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) took control of the program from contractor Oxaro earlier this year after a Global News investigation revealed issues in its administration. The investigation found the company received $51.1 million in taxpayer funds and $36.3 million were spent on administrative costs.

Some individuals claiming a vaccine injury also said they had tried to access the program without success.

The program under PHAC has been renamed the Vaccine Impact Assistance Program. A total of 3,557 claims have been received as of the latest data from November 2025. A total of 3,018 claims have been deemed admissible and over $21 million has been paid out in compensation.

Vaccine injuries in Canada have been surveyed by various means, including through the federally sponsored CANVAS program, where individuals self-reported adverse reactions following vaccination. Adults with a prior history of SARS-CoV-2 infection participated in the survey.

A study based on data from 2023 showed one reported lung or heart issue per 45 doses administered, including heart palpitations and chest pain. For another 5.64 percent of doses administered, individuals reported not being able to go about their daily activities or required medical care afterward.

The federal government said COVID-19 vaccines saved lives and are the reason why Canada got through the pandemic.

Ottawa imposed mandatory vaccination in the fall of 2021 in the public service and in federally regulated workplaces, as well as for travel by air, rail, and some marine vessels. The mandates were lifted in June 2022.