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Politics19 outlets ran this5 min read

MP Dean Allison's inquiry hears COVID-19 vaccine injury testimony

Independent hearings in Ottawa featured 50 witnesses sharing personal experiences of adverse events.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Conservative MP Dean Allison speaks during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, June 4, 2026, to announce he'd be holding an independent inquiry into COVID-19 vaccine injuries. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

What this story says

  • Conservative MP Dean Allison's independent inquiry into COVID-19 vaccine injuries took place over four days in Ottawa.
  • The inquiry heard testimony from 50 witnesses who applied to share their experiences of alleged vaccine-related harm.
  • The federal government did not sanction the inquiry, and Health Canada did not provide testimony.
  • The Vaccine Injury Support Program received 3,557 claims and paid out over $21 million between June 2021 and November 2025.

Who covered it

Left 18%(3)Centre 5%(1)Right 77%(13)

Percentages are shares of the 17 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 19 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

86/100

Craft

95/100

Hype

30/100

19 sources · methodology

Thin on the left so far

Only 3 of the 17 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

Conservative MP Dean Allison organised an independent inquiry into COVID-19 vaccine injuries, which took place over four days in Ottawa from September 8 to September 11, 2026. The inquiry heard testimony from 50 witnesses, selected from more than 1,400 applicants, who shared personal accounts of alleged harm following vaccination. The hearings were not sanctioned by the federal government and did not include testimony from Health Canada.

According to Health Canada, the Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP) received 3,557 claims and disbursed over $21 million between June 2021 and November 2025. Of the 1,433 claims assessed by the Medical Review Board, 252 were approved. To be eligible for VISP, individuals must have experienced a serious or permanent injury resulting from a Health Canada-authorized vaccine. The program's administration has faced criticism, with some claimants reporting frustration with the process and appeals.

Disagreement on inquiry's purpose and scope

The inquiry's terms of reference stated its intention was to listen to Canadians and not to make findings of fact or reach conclusions. Conservative MP Dean Allison described the inquiry as an effort to "begin a conversation that should've begun years ago" and stated that "compassion should never be controversial." CTV News reported Allison as saying the goal was to raise awareness and put pressure on the government. However, the inquiry's website noted that "more than 30 democratic countries" have launched inquiries into pandemic responses, including vaccines. U.S. Senator Ron Johnson also testified, focusing his remarks on criticism of Dr. Anthony Fauci and claims about the virus's origins.

What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated digests mention the total number of adverse events reported after COVID-19 vaccination, which was fewer than 12,000 considered serious out of over 58,000 reported events as of January 2024. None of the right-rated digests mention the number of claims approved by the Vaccine Injury Support Program's Medical Review Board, which was 252 out of 1,433 assessed claims.

Tags:#VaccineInjury#AllisonInquiry#COVID19#HealthCanada#DeanAllison

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 12 Sept 2026, 02:15, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

3 rated outlets

  • Left-rated reports highlighted that the inquiry was not sanctioned by the federal government and did not hear from Health Canada. CBC News noted that the inquiry was independent and that most witnesses were Canadians sharing personal stories. Global News's digest stated that an investigation uncovered complaints against the federal government's support program for vaccine-injured Canadians. Smithers Interior News's digest described the inquiry as an opportunity for healing and a nonpartisan initiative.

Centre

1 rated outlet

  • The centre-rated report from CTV News focused on concerns arising from the informal nature of the inquiry, noting it lacked the ability to compel witnesses. It quoted infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch stating that, based on current data, vaccination still reasonably reduces the risk of hospitalization and death. The report also detailed the experience of Carrie Sakamoto, who received $62,000 from the Vaccine Injury Support Program but found the process mismanaged and subject to red tape.

Right

13 rated outlets

  • Right-rated reports led with the testimony of Canadians sharing their experiences of alleged vaccine injuries. Headlines frequently used phrases such as "told their truth" and "heartbreaking" to describe the accounts. Many reports highlighted that the inquiry was independent and that MPs were moved by the testimony. Several digests mentioned U.S. Senator Ron Johnson's testimony and support from figures like UFC legend Georges St-Pierre. The Epoch Times and NTD News provided live coverage of the proceedings.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover MP Dean Allison's inquiry hears COVID-19 vaccine injury testimony?
Of the 17 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 18% are rated left, 5% are rated centre, 77% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 19. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is MP Dean Allison's inquiry hears COVID-19 vaccine injury testimony left or right?
The story itself is neither. What can be counted is who has covered it, and 77% of the 17 rated outlets on it are rated right — so far this is a story carried mostly by the right. Coverage is still arriving and that can change, which is why the figure is dated rather than fixed.
Is the coverage of MP Dean Allison's inquiry hears COVID-19 vaccine injury testimony biased?
MP Dean Allison's inquiry hears COVID-19 vaccine injury testimony is one event reported by 19 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting MP Dean Allison's inquiry hears COVID-19 vaccine injury testimony?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered MP Dean Allison's inquiry hears COVID-19 vaccine injury testimony?
19 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What was the Allison Inquiry?
The Allison Inquiry was an independent, four-day hearing organised by Conservative MP Dean Allison in Ottawa. It aimed to provide a platform for Canadians to share personal experiences of alleged injuries following COVID-19 vaccination, hearing testimony from 50 witnesses.
Did the federal government sanction the inquiry?
No, the federal government did not sanction the Allison Inquiry, and Health Canada did not provide testimony. The inquiry operated independently of official government structures.
How many claims has the Vaccine Injury Support Program received?
Between June 2021 and November 2025, the Vaccine Injury Support Program received 3,557 claims and paid out over $21 million. Of the 1,433 claims assessed, 252 were approved.

Read it at the source

19 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

3

Centre

1

Right

13
Show 5 more

Not rated

2

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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Dean Allison COVID-19 Vaccine Inquiry | MediaBias News