After months of sitting side-by-side (well, two meters apart) with chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab, leading this province through the COVID-19 pandemic, Premier Scott Moe was not going to take it when a prominent protestor made racial slurs at the top doctor. Nor was New Democratic Party Leader Ryan Meili, himself a physician, for that matter.
Ruddi Bruce, a YouTuber who gained a small following with the yellow vest movement, was one of the speakers at the Regina “Freedom Rally” to a crowd of around 200 protestors on the steps of the Legislature on Dec. 12.
At the microphone, Bruce said, “I have a message for Scott Moe, and what’s that public health minister’s name? Shahaab? Shereeb? Shahorb? I can’t get these foreigners’ names right. Anyway, are you s******g me?” he exclaimed, and then laughed.”
Dr. Shahab is a civil servant, not a minister.
Bruce continued, “I mean, this is ridiculous. Okay, this is a lie. This COVID-19 s*** is a lie. They have not isolated a gene. They haven’t isolated a germ. They haven’t identified what the scare is. It’s bulls***. It’s total bulls***,” he said, before turning to a reporter behind and to the right of him and saying, “Oh, where’s CBC News here? You gonna get a good look? It’s bulls***!
Now yelling, he said as the crowd cheered and booed, “They’re over here, the liars of Saskatchewan. The liars the country! CBC f******n’ News. That’s your media for ya. Why don’t you get the hell out of here?
“Who the hell needs you?” he yelled.
“Where are the news now? I am so sick! Eight months of this lie! Eight months! Every frickin’ day, these guys are on the media, telling you about COVID-19! COVID-19! Every frickin’ day! COVID-19! Get the f*** out of here!”
Bruce waived at the camera crew as they walked away, yelling, “Get your COVID-19 the f*** out of here! Get your asses out of here!
“Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on you, you bastards! Get the hell out of here! I’ll give you some news! CBC’s bulls***,” Bruce yelled.
Video of this was posted on several social media accounts as well as Global News.
Moe and Meili respond
Moe posted on Facebook and Twitter the next day, “Yesterday, one of the speakers at a rally in Regina made comments that were beneath contempt, including racist comments about Dr. Shahab.
“Last Thursday, former Health Minister Jim Reiter, who worked with Dr. Shahab for many years, made a statement about him in the Legislature. I believe that Minister Reiter’s statement reflected the views and thanks of the vast majority of Saskatchewan people, including me.
“I hope you will watch and share this statement instead.”
Meili took the rare step of retweeting Moe’s tweet/post in support. Meili, himself, tweeted, “This is disgusting, idiotic and dangerous. It's blatantly racist, which is always wrong, always unacceptable. It's even more infuriating to hear directed against Dr. Shahab, who's working so hard to keep all Sask people safe.
“And the attacks on journalists - who always play a crucial role in a free society, and especially during the pandemic - are horrible. To @PremierScottMoe, please join me in making it clear there's no room for this dangerous misinformation, racism and stupidity in our province.”
Prior to the rally, one of an ongoing series of Saturday anti-mask protests in Saskatoon and Regina, Moe tweeted, “I understand a large anti-mask rally is being planned today in Regina. I hope those attending would consider how insignificant the inconveniences they are being asked to follow really are compared to the pain of losing a loved one.”
A few hours later Moe tweeted, “A sad day in our fight against COVID-19, we're reporting 11 new deaths. Our deepest condolences to the family & friends of those individuals. It’s a sad reminder of why we all need to continue following all the public health orders & good practices that protect ourselves & others.”
Government support of Shahab
In a member statement on the last day of the legislative sitting, Dec. 10, Minister of SaskBuilds and Procurement Jim Reiter, who until recently was Minister of Health, said, “I’m happy to have an opportunity to say thank you to our health care professionals across the province for the work they do for all of us every day, but especially during the COVID pandemic.
“I also want to specifically thank a man who has helped navigate us through what is one of the most difficult times in our province’s history — Dr. Saqib Shahab, the chief medical health officer for the province of Saskatchewan. Mr. Speaker, I know how hard some days have been for him. But each day, with a cheery disposition, he continues to put in long hours to keep our citizens safe.
“Mr. Speaker, before his time in the ministry, Dr. Shahab worked as a regional medical health officer and served as a public health expert with multilateral health and donor agencies. Among his very impressive credentials are a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, and he’s a member of the Royal College of Physicians in the UK [United Kingdom]. As we approach the end of 2020, we’re not out of the woods yet, Mr. Speaker. But fortunately vaccines are on the way and we are confident that under the direction of Dr. Shahab we will make it through, and for that we thank him.
“Mr. Speaker, Dr. Shahab chose Saskatchewan as his home and Saskatchewan chose Dr. Shahab as our doctor. I hope Santa leaves Dr. Shahab a new cardigan under the tree and at some point that the new year is far less busy for him. I ask all members to join me in thanking Dr. Saqib Shahab for all the good work he has done and for all the good work he is about to do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker,” Reiter concluded.
Friesen given $2,800 ticket
At the end of the protest, one of the organizers, Mark Friesen, and another organizer were each handed fines of $2,800 under the Saskatchewan Public Health Act. Regina Police Services posted on their web paged on Dec. 12, “Two persons have been issued tickets under the Saskatchewan Public Health Act for contravention of Public Health Orders relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The adult male and female, who were identified as organizers of the so-called anti-mask convoy/rally in Regina, are from Saskatoon and Deer Valley respectively. The tickets each carry a $2,800 fine.
“The Regina Police Service thanks the public and media for their cooperation today. We understand the emotion and anxiety caused by this event; we also have families. Together, we will get through this time.”
On his own YouTube channel, “Canada First with the Grizzly Patriot,” on Dec. 13, Friesen posted a recording on of a subsequent interview with a Leader Post reporter about the incident, under the heading, “Consider this my statement regarding Regina rally.”
Friesen said he would be going to court in Regina on March 24, 2021, to fight the ticket, saying, “I plan on fighting these tickets and defending myself and, and, you know, obviously, exercising my rights in the constitution and defending those rights, according to that.”
Specifically, he is seeing evidence regarding the efficacy of COVID-19 testing.
“What I'd like to do is force the government to finally defend their position, and provide us the evidence required under the Charter to bring about these measures that, and limiting our Charter rights.”
By 1 p.m. on Dec 14, a Gofundme page called “Saskatoon Legal Defense Fund” had raised $5,044 of a $10,000 goal. It says, “The provincial and federal governments and their agents, have a duty to uphold the constitution and charter of rights and freedoms of Canada. According to that constitution and charter, these rights are guaranteed unless the government can prove, demonstrably, that limiting these rights is necessary under certain and particular circumstances. They have not proven that. Therefore all rights and freedoms are in full effect.
“We have had an individual issued a $2,800 fine for not wearing a mask in a public place. Given the current state of affairs, we want to ensure we have a fund that we can use to help defend our rights & freedoms in a court of law and fight these unlawful fines, tickets, and charges.”
Regarding Bruce’s comments, Friesen said, “They don't reflect the views of the majority of the people that were there, other people that have come together to organize these things, that it wasn't reflected in that.”
Friesen said this despite numerous videos online showing loud cheers from most of the crowd supporting Bruce’s comments.
If the committee were better at vetting the speakers, he said, “that wouldn’t have happened. However, it did.”
Friesen added, “I know, it could be seen as controversial, but it's, it is what it is, it was a freedom rally. And if, you know, freedom of speech is part of that.”
