VIDEO POD: "DON'T BE CANADA" WITH TRISTIN HOPPER

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VIDEO POD: "DON'T BE CANADA" WITH TRISTIN HOPPER

And my reporting on how the death of an Ontario teenager reveals this country's rot.

Trish Wood

Apr 26, 2026

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Six years ago when we first met each other, you and I — the decline of our beloved Canada seemed temporary and fixable. We believed our downfall was mostly fuelled by the absurd, culture and economy-destroying “public health” policies aimed at fighting a virus that was not threatening most people.

My friend Jeffrey Tucker reminded me recently that a healthy young male was ONE THOUSAND TIMES less likely to die of COVID than the elderly and already sick. Yet, they were coerced, like millions of others into taking a vaccine that was of sketchy origin, dubious efficacy and potential cardiac harms.

Young people at school and university were sent home or locked down on campus, creating anxiety and mental health issues that will torment them for decades.

We blame their issues on screen-time, cellphone use and the crashing economy. Yes, these are factors. But serious damage caused by public health was predicted at the time, is real and for some long-lasting.

Sadly, outside voices were censored and ridiculed. Given that the same people are in power — the obvious cause of what was an assault by the government on a generation of innocent kids and the country more generally, is not being investigated nor even talked about outside of dissident circles.

We chronicled here the suicides and mountains of other collateral damage caused by bureaucrats who were either too evil or too stupid to run a risk/benefit analysis on their unscientific and socially destructive plan. Never forget the story of Kai Matthews, refused medical treatment as he was dying of meningitis.

A well-known Ontario politician confirmed privately to me that they all knew the measures were failing — but enforced the edicts anyway, not for medical reasons but political ones. They needed to quell the public hysteria, which ironically had been driven by the government’s own propaganda/fear campaigns. The government made sure it would be political suicide for anyone who broke ranks.

Hardly anyone talks about COVID anymore. And there will be no reckoning. But the slide that began as a result of cynical politicking, lying and propaganda — all enabled by legacy media — continues. So captured is this country that the Liberal Party, which was driving the public health runaway train, with the help of the cowardly provinces, is still in power.

I am planning a special episode on this. We need to be reminded.

Perhaps a low point in Ontario was how the government exploited the death of Emily Viegas, “from COVID 19.” Both in Ottawa and Queens Park, they held a moment of silence to make sure everyone was aware that young people could indeed die of COVID. Which was not the point. Healthy young people don’t die.

But what no one ever said publicly about poor Emily — is that she was morbidly obese. So was her mother — who was in the ICU. Obesity is a well-documented risk factor but virtually never discussed in media.

All the legacy media coverage of her death demanded stricter public health measures for everyone— but no one talked about her weight. The story was used to convince us that healthy kids were at risk — which is not true.

Here is the Ontario government holding a moment of silence for Ms Viegas to make that point. It’s hard to believe this even happened. Look at the masks, the solemnity — the absurdity and wickedness of justifying their overreach by focussing, unscientifically on the death of this teenager.

Our Covidian federal government, not to be outdone, held another moment the following day.

I called the medical examiner’s office in Ontario asking what Emily’s official cause of death was. In an email I was told this was not a public issue, and was declined further information. There is more to this story and we will get to it soon.

I am not yet questioning the cause of death — but I am exposing the lack of conversation about her very serious comorbidity. It has been reported that she had pneumonia. I also suspect the media was worried, in part, about fat-shaming the family and undermining the approved talking point that kids were at risk. This photograph appeared — and suggests a weight issue that is never explicitly mentioned. And the photo itself was cropped.

From AI:

In the dozens of Canadian legacy media reports (Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, CBC, Global News, etc.) from April–May 2021 covering Emily Viegas’s death, mainstream outlets did not mention obesity, overweight status, or any related details as a factor or comorbidity.

Here is Peter Julian, NDP member pushing for harsher COVID measures on the basis of her death.

I want to start by talking, sadly, about the appalling loss of life we have seen through COVID-19. Today we passed a sad milestone of 24,000 Canadians who have died as a result of COVID-19. We will underscore later in the day, in the House, the death of Emily Victoria Viegas, 13 years of age, who died on April 22 from COVID-19. That death toll of 24,000 is climbing as the third wave hits across this country.
Many industrialized countries were able to put in place both vaccine distribution and measures that lowered their death rates remarkably. Canada, sadly, as we see the death toll climb, has not been putting into place the measures that are so essential to ensure that we try to avoid as many deaths as possible during this appalling pandemic.

…..

Sadly, the Prime Minister and the government seem to be saying “Mission accomplished,” when we know that this is far from the case, as this third wave crashes on our shores, as we see ICUs and emergency wards filled with Canadians.

Instead of putting into place measures that will continue to extend throughout the summer, in a few weeks’ time the government will start slashing emergency response benefits and supports that were given to small businesses. The government will say that it put in place a measure for all those large businesses, which used the wage subsidy for dividend payments, for executive bonuses and stock buybacks. It will close that barn door in July, but it will not ask for any repayment. However, if they use the wage subsidy in the final waning weeks of when it is available, then there may be consequences.
At a time when so many Canadians are struggling, this is absolutely unacceptable that we are wrapping up all the programs, starting in weeks, that would serve to provide support as the third wave hits our shores.

Here is the Hansard from April 26, 2021

This week, Tristin Hopper; the witty, observant and spicy columnist for The National Post. Author of Don’t Be Canada. We lament the downward momentum of this country but Tristin is also funny and interesting. One of our treasures. Let us know what you think.

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