Fraudulent pamphlets with vaccine misinformation circulating with Manitoba Human Rights Commission logo

The Manitoba Human Rights Commission is alerting the public about fraudulent pamphlets with the commission logo that contain information about the human rights code and misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.

Karen Sharma, the commission's acting executive director, said someone reported the fakes Friday after being approached by another person, who shared one with them in Steinbach, Man.

"This is not a commission-produced document and not a credible source of information, either on human rights or COVID-19 vaccines," said Sharma. "Much of the information contained within it is debunked and not legitimate."

They don't know yet if it's circulating more broadly beyond Steinbach, nor does the commission know who produced it or why.

Sharma speculated that whoever created it may feel vaccine requirements are a human rights concern. The position of the commission is that generally such requirements do not present human rights concerns, she said.

"COVID-19 is a really serious issue in our communities and it is requiring us all to do our part to ensure our communities are safe, which include our most marginalized, those that experience or face barriers in accessing vaccine, those who cannot be vaccinated," said Sharma.

"We've got to do our part to keep those communities safe and the vaccine is an important part of that."

In a small number of cases, some people may not be able to be immunized for reasons related to a code-protected characteristic, like their religious belief, a disability, or health condition, she said. 

"However, rights under the human rights code are not absolute and there can be times where rights may be ...  violated or limited … but it could be legitimately justified, often for reasons related to public safety and health," said Sharma. "When it comes to vaccine requirements, that could be one of those circumstances."

The organization recently released a guide to human rights considerations related to COVID-19 vaccines.

Vaccines have greatly reduced coronavirus transmission, hospitalization rates and deaths. Increased immunization rates actually safeguard human rights, the commission says, by protecting those most at risk and reducing the need for restrictive public health measures.

The commission encourages Manitobans to get their information on coronavirus and vaccines from credible sources. That includes public health officials, the province's COVID-19 website and medical professionals.

Anyone who comes across one of the fraudulent documents is asked to destroy or report it to the commission.

The public can contact the commission by email at [email protected] or over the phone at 204-945-3007 or toll-free at 1-888-884-8681.