Geneviève Eliany

Good afternoon. Could you spell and state your name for the record, please?

Maureen Somers

Maureen Somers. S-O-M-E-R-S.

Geneviève Eliany

Do you promise to tell the truth today?

Maureen Somers

Yes, I do.

Geneviève Eliany

I understand that you’re a descendant of Holocaust survivors. Can you tell us about some discussions you’ve had with family members?

Maureen Somers

Well, for starters, I never imagined in my lifetime that I would be witness to a fascist dictate on the nation. And from what I have learned in history and from relatives who not only survived the Hungarian occupation by the Nazis, they also survived the occupation by the Russians; and from everything that I have learned from them as well as from my days in my history class—I was always told by our history teacher, “If you don’t study history, you’ll never know what’s coming.” Well, never in my lifetime could I imagine that I would see a fascist dictate on our nation. And by that, I mean, from what my relatives have described—fascism—the unvaccinated and the elderly in this country were treated terribly. That’s fascism. The unvaccinated particularly have been treated horribly. They were pitted against the vaccinated. That’s fascism.

Geneviève Eliany

I understand you’re concerned for your grandchildren. Can you tell us about their concerns and how they experienced the pandemic?

Maureen Somers

I’m a grandmother to eight grandchildren. To hear one of my grandchildren in utter terror that their parents could die from a virus that he might bring home—or they might bring home—and the absolute terror that if their parents died, the question to me was, “Grandma who will take care of me?” And as a grandma, I reassured my grandchild not to be afraid. However, my fear, my biggest fear— Not COVID, nothing else that has happened. My greatest fear is that I may outlive a few of my grandchildren that were unfortunately vaccinated.

Geneviève Eliany

I understand your husband was taken to the emergency room for excruciating abdominal pain during the pandemic. Can you tell us about his experience?

Maureen Somers

Back in October of 2022, my husband arrived by ambulance to the emergency ward of our local hospital in excruciating pain. He was left in the ER hallway on a cold gurney. And the attending doctor, the ER doctor at that time, the priority was whether he was vaccinated or not. When he was questioned by the doctor, “What is your vaccination status?” and my husband replied that he was not vaccinated, then the interrogation started. That was the doctor’s priority. “Why aren’t you vaccinated?” My husband’s response was, “I don’t want the vaccination.” “Why don’t you want the vaccination?” “I told you I don’t want the vaccination.”

My husband’s in pain. And that was the doctor’s priority. And her comment and reply to his insistence that he did not want the vaccine—particularly not right then and there. She said to my husband, “Mr. So-and-So if you don’t take this vaccination right now, you’re going to be dead in two years.” My husband said at that time, “My wife is on her way. She is my power of attorney. You can speak to her.”

Well, upon my arrival that doctor couldn’t be found anywhere in the ER department. Even though I requested to speak with her twice through the nurse, the attending nurse, we were abandoned by that doctor. She never returned. The attending nurse who was looking after my husband told him he would have to wait until the ER shift change and there would be a new doctor who would attend to him.

[00:05:00]

We waited an hour and a half for this new doctor to show up. Luckily, this doctor couldn’t care less about his vaccine status, ordered tests immediately, and determined that my husband needed emergency appendix surgery, ASAP.

Geneviève Eliany

Thank you. I don’t have any further questions for you. Perhaps the commissioners do.

Maureen Somers

Oh, I’m happy to report my husband is healthy and alive.

Geneviève Eliany

Thank you very much for your testimony today.

Maureen Somers

Thank you very much.

[00:05:52]

Final Review and Approval:  Jodi Bruhn, August 16, 2023.   

The evidence offered in this transcript is a true and faithful record of witness testimony given during the National Citizens Inquiry (NCI) hearings. The transcript was prepared by members of a team of volunteers using an “intelligent verbatim” transcription method.

For further information on the transcription process, method, and team, see the NCI website: https://nationalcitizensinquiry.ca/about-these-transcripts/

Summary

Ms. Somers is a descendant of Holocaust survivors. Commentary on discussions with family members being witness to a fascist dictate on the nation. The unvaccinated were pitted against the vaccinated. She feels that the elderly were also treated terribly. She expressed the concerns for grandchildren, one of whom was in utter terror that his parents could die from a virus that he might bring home. Her greatest fear is that she outlives one of her vaccinated grandchildren. Her husband had an appendix attack and had to attend the emergency room during the pandemic. The priority from some doctors appeared to be whether or not he was vaccinated and he was told that he would be dead in 2 years if he didn’t have the vaccine.