Watch: Dr Canaday's Freedom Fight - NZ Doctors Speaking Out With Science

New Zealand Doctors Speaking Out With Science (NZDSOS) have been active in our nation’s freedom fight. Our public appearances have included, but are not limited to, the following examples: Dr Anna Goodwin; Dr Alanna Ratna; Dr Jacques Imbeau; Dr Emanuel Garcia; Dr Alison Goodwin and Dr Matt Shelton. This has been, and continues to be, at great personal and professional risk and cost.

One of our most active and courageous members is Dr Peter Canaday, who attended and spoke at the ‘Let’s Not Forget’ New Plymouth meeting, a part of the Counterspin Media freedom fight initiative touring around our nation following the violent termination of ‘Camp Freedom’ in Wellington on 2 March 2022.

American born and trained, Dr Canaday is an internal medicine specialist with sub-specialist training in Respiratory and Intensive Care. He practised as a specialist in Colorado for 12 years before pivoting to a career as a Radiologist, qualifying in 1997. He then worked at Creighton University Medical School in Nebraska as an Assistant Professor, head of the Pulmonary Radiology Section and Clinical Coordinator of the Radiology Department. He has multiple academic publications to his name, has worked on many national, state and local level advisory committees, and given testimony at State legislature level in the USA.

Dr Canaday and his wife settled in New Zealand in 2013 where he practiced until 2021. More equipped than most medically qualified professionals to speak on respiratory disease, NZDSOS value his expert input on our team at this critical time. Since June 2021 Dr Canaday has been active in public presentations on Covid-19 and the Pfizer vaccine at multiple venues throughout New Zealand and has regularly presented webinars hosted by Voices For Freedom.

Dr Canaday spoke to the New Plymouth crowd about his own personal freedom fight against the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ), the regulatory authority for medical practitioners. This began with a letter sent to practitioners which stated “Doctors have an ethical and professional obligation to protect and promote the health of patients and participate in community health efforts, and in particular to describe the benefits of the vaccine“.

Practitioners were also expected to receive the vaccine themselves, and to encourage vaccination of all patients. Dr Canaday highlights the fact that MCNZ make no mention of the need to discuss potential associated risks; nor of the Hippocratic Oath which all medical practitioners are required to abide by, the cornerstone principle of which is to “first do no harm”. Neither is reference made to the requirement that all doctors must participate in and obtain, informed consent for all procedures.

The MCNZ letter also instructed medical practitioners not to discuss their own personal views with patients. Dr Canaday argues that medical doctors referencing medical evidence and scientific literature are not discussing “personal views”. He also argues that the instruction from MCNZ that doctors “stay within our limits of competence” ignores the training and experience that he and many others have which qualifies them to speak with confidence, competence and expertise to patients. In contrast, various members of government with no background whatsoever in medicine, or with limited experience, have deemed it their right or privilege to effectively give medical advice.

After speaking regularly at public forums on Covid-19, as he is well qualified to do, Dr Canaday received a letter from MCNZ in October 2021 based on reports received from anonymous individuals. The letter accused him, without detail, of sharing “misinformation”, spreading “vaccine hestiancy” and holding “anti-vaccination” views. MCNZ claimed this amounted to professional misconduct with a risk of harm to the public and suspended his Practice Certificate.

Our NZDSOS colleague Dr Matt Shelton experienced similar communications and suspension at around the same time, and both doctors appealed their suspensions in the Wellington District Court in February 2022 before the same judge. A month later, on 31 March 2022 the judge passed his decision that the suspensions were neither fair nor proportionate, and overturned both suspensions.

Dr Canaday put forth arguments to the New Plymouth audience around the role, responsibilities and behaviour of MCNZ. He suggests that many of New Zealand’s medical practitioners feel unable to act in the best interests of public health due to threats of losing their Practice Certificates. Through the legal proceedings MCNZ have ceded that Dr Canaday has the right, under the NZ Bill of Rights Act, to freedom of speech and expression. This will be made available on public record. All other health professionals being censored by professional regulatory authorities will have access to this, to use as a precedent for future legal proceedings.

MCNZ have not refuted any statements made by Dr Canaday and have claimed that they do not need to explain what they are referring to in their accusations against him. He suggests their behaviour is reminiscent of wizardry, as they make proclamations without evidence or justification. He concludes with a Wizard of Oz reference about the courage, heart and brains within all New Zealanders, which will ultimately be what gets us through this crisis.

Other discussions included a harrowing account delivered by landowners from the Mangapepeke Valley who are threatened with loss of land, home, precious habitat and wildlife by an NZTA highway project. More on their story can be learned from articles shared by the Outdoors and Freedom Party.

Hannah and Kelvin are touring New Zealand in a bus they named Storm to acknowledge and protect the ongoing freedom fight as we continue to endure assaults on our democracy and rights. People who want to reconnect, to remember Wellington, to share their stories of loss and harm, and especially to acknowledge the vaccine injuries being experienced by everyday New Zealanders, are meeting in packed-out halls as Counterspin make their way through the nation.

Freedom Fighter Award for Excellence in Truth, Courage and Freedom

Counterspin Media presented an award at the end of the night, to honour the memory of four fatal traffic accident victims returning to New Plymouth after a freedom fight rally in Wellington on 9 November 2021. Dr Canaday was the esteemed recipient of this Award for Excellence, in recognition of his work fighting for truth, courage and freedom. We are grateful for the acknowledgement of his work, and we agree with Hannah and Kelvin that the award is well deserved.

The full video of New Plymouth’s Let’s Not Forget forum offers enlightening perspectives from a variety of speakers. If you don’t have a spare 2 hours 40 minutes, then Dr Canaday’s provocative 16 minute address begins at 43 minutes 45 seconds. The brief award presentation concluded the evening, at 2 hours 32 minutes.