In 2019, 67 percent of Canadians rated their mental health as “very good or excellent.” By 2023, that figure had dropped to just 54 percent.

A new report from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms examines the immediate and long-term negative impacts of Covid lockdowns, including physical, social, and economic harms. It also underscores the lack of transparent, evidence-based analysis by governments to justify these measures.

The report details how policies introduced with the stated goal of saving lives came at an extraordinary cost to Canadians’ mental and physical health, access to healthcare, economic security, and civil liberties.

One of the most concerning findings is the sharp decline in Canadians’ mental health. In 2019, 67 percent of Canadians rated their mental health as “very good or excellent.” By 2023, that figure had dropped to just 54 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of Canadians reporting “fair or poor” mental health nearly doubled—from 8 percent to 15 percent. This trend was seen across all age groups, but especially among young adults.

Indeed, despite facing minimal risk from Covid, young Canadians suffered some of the most serious consequences of lockdown measures. Non-Covid deaths among Canadians under age 45 rose by 22 percent, driven by factors such as disease, addiction, delayed treatment, and suicide. Physical activity among youth dropped significantly during this period, while time spent on screens—such as cell phones, computers, and tablets—increased sharply. Up to 70 percent of children and teens reported experiencing anxiety, depression, or other serious mental health issues.

A particularly alarming trend was the surge in opioid-related deaths. From 2020 to 2023, annual opioid overdose deaths increased by 108 percent. In 2023 alone, 8,606 Canadians died from opioid toxicity—more than double the pre-lockdown average. British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario recorded the highest rates, with the vast majority of deaths involving fentanyl.

During Covid, thousands of medical check-ups, diagnoses, and treatments were delayed or cancelled, resulting in a serious and ongoing backlog in Canada’s healthcare system.

Wait times for medical treatments increased by 43 percent between 2019 and 2024, reaching a median of 30 weeks. MRI wait times rose by 55 percent. For certain cancers, including breast and prostate, surgery delays increased by as much as 34 percent. Since 2018, more than 74,000 Canadians have died while waiting for surgery or diagnostic care—over 15,000 of them in 2023–24 alone. The actual number is likely higher, due to poor provincial tracking and reporting.

The economic impact was equally severe. Lockdowns resulted in widespread job losses, particularly among low-wage workers, while the “laptop class” remained largely unscathed. While many public sector jobs expanded during this time, Canadians in hospitality, retail, and service sectors faced prolonged unemployment. The expansion of public spending and government debt contributed to rising inflation, driving up the cost of food, housing, and other essentials.

Crime rates also rose during the lockdown years. Homicides peaked in 2022 at 17 percent above trend, with 882 victims across Canada. Cybercrime nearly doubled, rising from 48,000 cases in 2019 to over 93,000 in 2023. Identity theft and fraud increased to 120 percent above trend in 2020, with similar levels in the following years. Particularly troubling was the rise in online child sexual exploitation, which reached 18,650 reported cases in 2023—a 173 percent increase from 2019.

Benjamin Klassen, Education Coordinator at the Justice Centre, says the findings demand accountability. “This report calls for governments to take responsibility for the damage done during this period and ensure that future public health policies uphold the Charter rights and freedoms of all Canadians.”

Mr. Klassen continues, “The Charter requires governments to ‘demonstrably’ justify any freedom-limiting policy. To date, no federal or provincial government in Canada has conducted the kind of comprehensive impact assessment required to justify the lockdowns.”

He concludes, “The evidence is clear: the harms of lockdowns outweighed their benefits. Canadians deserve an honest and transparent evaluation of lockdown harms, so that these mistakes are never repeated.”

From the National Citizens Coalition

By Peter Coleman, President, National Citizens Coalition

Carney’s Washington Trip: A Low Bar Cleared, But Real Challenges Await

The legacy media circus surrounding Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent trip to Washington was predictable, wasn’t it? The Liberal-subsidized press, ever eager to prop up their chosen darlings, couldn’t stop fawning over how Carney “stood up” to President Donald Trump. As someone who’s never been accused of waving a Liberal flag, I’ll admit it was refreshing to see a Canadian leader who could string two coherent sentences together without embarrassing us on the world stage. After years of Justin Trudeau sullying our nation with his very presence, Carney’s performance cleared the lowest of bars. But let’s not break out the champagne just yet.

NCC and Western Standard readers—hard-working folks who value straight talk over CBC’s syrupy narratives, or the Globe and Mail’s elitist drivel—know better than to judge a politician by their words. Carney’s entire election pitch boiled down to terrifying voters with a hyperbolic “Orange Man bad, vote for me” message. It was a message tailor-made for naive leftists glued to legacy media, blissfully unaware of the real world. Meanwhile, those of us reading outlets like this one, where ideas are challenged and truths are unearthed, saw through the bombast and the cynical “elbows up” campaign strategy, and we know to judge leaders by what they do, not what they say to get elected. On that front, Carney’s still got a steep hill to climb.

So let’s give credit where it’s due—not to Carney, but to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Her recent press conference was a masterclass in clarity and conviction, laying out conditions for a new relationship with a federal government that’s long treated Alberta with disdain. For too many in Ottawa, Alberta’s nothing more than a cash cow to prop up Quebec through equalization payments while dismissing the West’s reasonable concerns as backwater griping. Smith’s demands were practical and rooted in the reality that Alberta’s contributions deserve more respect, not contempt. So, how did the so-called “smartest guy in the room”—as Carney and his media cheerleaders love to proclaim—respond to these demands? Crickets. No answers, no action, just the same old Liberal sidestep.

Meanwhile, while Carney basks in the afterglow of his Washington photo-op, the world isn’t waiting for Canada to get its act together. As I write this, the United States and the United Kingdom have just announced the framework for a historic free trade agreement. Remember Carney’s campaign promises? He was supposed to be the guy securing “historic” trade deals with the UK and the EU. Yet here we are, watching the UK cozy up to the U.S. while Canada’s left on the sidelines. What happened? Could it be that Carney’s thinly veiled carbon tax obsession and climate change dogma—kept under wraps during the campaign—are already scaring off potential partners? Or perhaps our allies see what millions in Canada have already noticed: a leader surrounded by the same incompetent Trudeau-era cabinet, who may still be destined to recycle the same tired and destructive ideas that have held Canada back for a decade.

Time will tell, but the clock is ticking, and Canada’s still moving in slow motion. Carney will soon learn the hard way that governing is a far cry from glad-handing in Beijing, benefiting from President Trump’s election interference, or fear-mongering on the campaign trail. Most Canadians aren’t interested in more rhetoric; we want results. With our vast resources, we should be the richest country on Earth, yet for ten years, we’ve been sliding backward. Our economy is stagnant, our global influence is waning, and Ottawa’s obsession with centralized control and woke policies have left us ill-equipped to compete. The time for change isn’t tomorrow—it’s now.

Carney’s got a chance to prove he’s more than a slick operator, but he’s got to deliver. Alberta’s demands, as articulated by Smith, aren’t just a wishlist; they’re a pre-requisite to restoring fairness and unleashing our potential. Ignore them, and Carney risks alienating the real economic engine of this country. Canadians deserve better than another decade of mismanagement and excuses. Here at the National Citizens Coalition, we’ve been around since 1967, and we’ve seen governments come and go. Through it all, we’ve stayed true to our mission: advocating for freedom and common sense, and a Canada that lives up to its promise. Mark Carney is on notice—words won’t cut it anymore. It’s time to act.

But more than anything, it’s time for government to get out of the way.

Peter Coleman is the President of the National Citizens Coalition, Canada’s pioneer conservative non-profit advocacy group.