MP Dean Allison and the Allison Inquiry team held a press conference on Parliament Hill on August 13th, 2026, providing an update on the response to the inquiry and inviting more Canadians and Members of Parliament to take part in the September hearings.

During that press conference, Canada Health Alliance Director Myriam Bohémier, who is a member of the Allison Inquiry legal team, gave the following speech. The original speech was delivered in French, but as it is so inspiring and pertinent to us all we would like to share it with you here…

“My name is Myriam Bohémier. I serve as a volunteer lawyer with the Allison Inquiry. I represent the vaccine-injured witnesses from Quebec who will be testifying before the Inquiry.

Today, I am speaking to all French-speaking Canadians, including those in Quebec, to let you know that this Inquiry is yours as well. It is open to all Canadians, in both official languages, and your voice has an important place in it.

I would like to share my message through a letter that I wrote to my daughter. She is eight years old. We practise karate together. In karate, we thank our opponent for making us better. My daughter inspires me to become a better person.

My daughter, I have been given the honour of sharing an important message today about the Allison Inquiry. When I thought about what I wanted to say, I thought of you—because every day, just like karate, you inspire me to become a better person.

What is the Allison Inquiry? It is a non-partisan inquiry created to listen to people who have experienced vaccine injuries after receiving COVID-19 vaccines.

In 2020, a global public health crisis was declared. To overcome it, governments told us that we needed vaccines. These vaccines were developed very quickly. Governments encouraged people to get vaccinated, assuring them that the vaccines were safe and effective.

Some people feared the virus, trusted those recommendations, and got vaccinated in the hope of protecting themselves and their loved ones. Others did so to continue living their lives, preserve their mental health, and regain a sense of normalcy — whether that meant travelling, playing sports, going to restaurants, or seeing a movie.

Others did so because they were at risk of losing their jobs and being unable to provide for their families. Still others were required to be vaccinated in order to visit hospitalized loved ones or receive medical treatment.

For some people, the vaccine caused temporary or permanent injuries. Many continue to live with conditions that prevent them from working, playing with their children, or attending school. They live with tremendous pain—not only physical pain, but emotional pain as well. Regret. Anger. Grief. Loneliness. A sense of betrayal. A sense of abandonment.

The vaccines were available everywhere and free of charge. Today, it is difficult for vaccine-injured individuals to access the care they need.

These people need to be heard. They need compassion. Recognition. They need to know they are not alone. The Allison Inquiry offers them that opportunity.

Acknowledging a problem is the first step toward finding a solution.

People who were injured by the vaccines did what they were asked to do. The very least we can do is be there to listen.

In life, nothing is fixed. Everything can change the moment we decide to move forward, the moment we realize that we have the power to influence reality.

As you know, karate teaches us mastery—the mastery of our own strength. We learn to understand it. We learn to use it. And we use it to become better people. That is true in karate, just as it is in life.

My daughter, you inspire me to become a better person every day, to live in a way that is consistent with my values. I have been given the opportunity to be part of something extraordinary — something greater than myself. To bring my own perspective to it. To help shape it through my involvement and my actions. To co-create with people of exceptional character. I have the opportunity to connect with others and to offer them comfort simply through my presence. To feel that what I do has meaning. To contribute to the beauty of human solidarity in the midst of these tragedies. My presence and my actions help me grow. They make me a better person.

Everything I say and everything I do is being recorded. One day, you will be able to follow my footsteps and see what I have accomplished. I hope that I will inspire you to become a better person—to follow the path of self-love and love for humanity.

Love, Mom.

Each of you has someone in your life who inspires you to become a better person.

Just as in karate, we become better when we are willing to see and acknowledge reality—even when it is difficult.

This Inquiry is an extraordinary opportunity to become better.

To show courage. To show strength. To show solidarity. To show compassion. To show resilience.

To those living with vaccine injuries, I invite you to show courage, strength, and resilience by registering to testify or by ensuring that your story becomes part of the evidence. And I thank those who have already done so.

To Members of Parliament and Senators, I invite you to show courage, strength, solidarity, and compassion by attending the hearings, listening to the Canadians you represent, and helping rebuild the trust that was lost during this crisis. And I thank those who have already agreed to attend.

To the public, I invite you to show solidarity, compassion, and resilience by helping spread the word about this Inquiry, supporting it through donations, encouraging your Members of Parliament to attend, and watching the hearings live from September 8 to 11, with simultaneous French interpretation.
You are more powerful than you think.

You have the power to become better. To be the role models you want to be for your children and for generations to come. To become part of history and leave that legacy behind.

Thank you, Dean, Teresa, and Shawn, for giving me the opportunity to become a better person.

Now... for all of us... it is time to become better.

Thank you.”

To watch the video of Myriam delivering this speech before the news media cameras on August 13, 2026, visit the Allison Inquiry website at: https://covidtestimony.com/pressers/