Poilievre Says Suspension of BC Nurse for Gender Comments Is ‘Authoritarian Censorship’

Last week, the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) found nurse Amy Hamm liable of “professional misconduct” over online comments she made on gender issues, ordering her to pay a fine of $93,639.80 and suspending her licence for a month.

The organization had accused Hamm three years ago of making “discriminatory and derogatory remarks concerning transgender people” in podcasts as well as in videos and on social media platforms between 2018 and 2021. She was also investigated by the college after helping a friend sponsor a billboard in support of UK author J.K. Rowling, who has been critical of biological males going to female-only spaces.

Poilieve said this violates freedom of expression.

“A nurse with a spotless track record gets fined and suspended for pointing out there are two genders, and for praising world renowned author & women’s rights advocate [J.K. Rowling],” he said in an Aug. 20 post on X.

“This is authoritarian censorship. We must restore free speech and free thinking in a free country.”

In a subsequent post, Hamm said she had spoken to Poilievre on the phone on Aug. 20.

“He is a man who understands the issues regarding protection of our sex-based rights. (And free speech, of course.) I’m feeling positive about Canada in a way that I haven’t in a long time,” she said, following the call.

Hamm’s lawyer, Lisa Bildy, also responded to the Conservative leader’s post on X, saying on Aug. 20 that she was “grateful” to see the support.

She also wrote on social media that institutions and regulators in Canada are “too prone to being weaponized as a tool for cancel culture.”

“And if they continue down the path of enforcing adherence to progressive ideology as a condition of practicing a profession, then perhaps a conversation needs to be had about ending their monopolies,” she said in a subsequent post.

B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad also posted his support for Hamm on X.

“The $93,000 judgement against Amy Hamm is an attack on basic decency, common sense, and free speech, Rustad said in an Aug. 21 post.

He said that “by all accounts” Hamm was a “fantastic nurse with glowing reviews” from patients.

“When did we decide that being a nurse in BC means losing your right to free speech,” Rustad said.

BCCNM said the suspension of Hamm’s licence was the second-most “serious action” a discipline committee panel can take, and that the panel was satisfied that the suspension would “serve the public interest.”

The College also said the penalty would act as a “general deterrence” and make it clear that “it is unacceptable to use a professional nursing designation in conjunction with the public expression of discriminatory and derogatory statements targeting vulnerable and marginalized members of a community.”

BCCNM said Hamm has two years to pay the $93,000 fine, and said both the penalty and costs were stayed until the outcome of the Supreme Court decision.

Hamm filed an appeal of the BCCNM misconduct finding with the B.C. Supreme Court in March. She said she was appealing because of her belief that “biological reality matters” and freedom of expression matters.”

She also said that the College was punishing her “for statements that are not hateful, but truthful.”

Hamm has accused VCH of terminating her for her political beliefs.

VCH spokesperson Jessica Holmes previously told The Epoch Times in an email that after reviewing the BCCNM decision, Hamm was “no longer with the health authority.”

The college received two complaints over the billboard, one called Hamm “transphobic” and said she was not fit to be a nurse, according to the March 13 decision.

An investigation was launched by the college’s inquiry committee, which resulted in a 300-page report on Hamm’s social media posts and other online activity.

As a result of the report, Hamm was charged with professional misconduct.

Hamm said she was shocked by the BCCNM decision, and told The Epoch Times that no woman should be punished for “standing up for our rights.”

The accusation of “unprofessional conduct” was linked to four incidents where Hamm identified herself as a nurse while making “discriminatory and/or derogatory” comments, the BCCNM panel said. It included a biography attached to three articles she had written, and one podcast.

One of the incidents included Hamm referring to her nursing profession during a podcast with a “noted feminist.” In the show, the two discussed author J.K. Rowling, transgenderhttps://www.theepochtimes.com/world/poilievre-says-suspension-of-bc-nurse-for-gender-comments-is-authoritarian-censorship-5904201?ea_src=ca-frontpage&ea_med=medium-1 activism, and gender ideology, according to Hamm’s filing with the Supreme Court of B.C. The document notes that the women agreed those issues were having an “adverse impact” on women’s spaces, sports and safety.

BCCNM noted some social media comments made by Hamm, who listed herself as a nurse in her biography. One such post said, “Vancouver Rape Relief and Shelter will surely (and maddeningly) face continued backlash from trans activists determined to infiltrate or destroy women-only spaces.”

The panel said Hamm made statements that were “untruthful and unfair” and challenged “the existence of transgender women.”

It also said the comments were designed to “elicit fear, contempt and outrage” against those in the transgender community.

Hamm previously told The Epoch Times she was shocked by the panel’s decision.

“I am in disbelief that speaking the truth, and speaking about my opinions on gender ideology and its impact on women, has resulted in my being found guilty of ‘discriminatory and derogatory’ speech,“ she said. ”No woman should be punished for standing up for our rights.”