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A doctor who was accused of being the source of a COVID-19 outbreak in New Brunswick last year is taking legal action against the province and the RCMP.
In a draft statement obtained by The Star, Dr Jean Robert Ngola Monzinga cites racism, political gain and alleged cover-up in a series of incidents last year that saw him singled out and falsely accused of be patient zero in a COVID outbreak.
It is a series of events that he says led to an RCMP investigation as well as racial harassment and death threats from New Brunswickers.
Ultimately, out of fear for his safety, Ngola – who had moved to Canada after leaving the Democratic Republic of the Congo years earlier – says he was forced to leave Campbellton, New Brunswick, where he had worked at the local hospital and ran a family practice for some 2,000 residents for eight years, only to relocate to Quebec.
Earlier this month, all charges against Ngola were dropped by the provincial crown.
“Dr. Ngola is the first and only modern day experience a Canadian has ever had with having to relocate due to a social ban that was spurred on by a government, police force and the media. social, ”the statement read.
“A Canadian citizen has the constitutional right to reside in any Canadian province or territory of their choice and should not be humiliated and forced into banishment because of government action. “
“In my case, there has been a most flagrant injustice,” Ngola said in French at a press conference on Friday. “And so it created a lot of fractures in society. Because all racialized Canadians have also felt attacked.
Ngola’s one-year saga began in May 2020, when, due to a family emergency, he had to drive to Quebec City to pick up his daughter and return to Campbellton.
According to the allegation, Ngola clarified his situation with public health authorities in both provinces and learned that he was exempt from the obligation to self-isolate upon his return. This was consistent with a number of medical and nursing colleagues at the time, who traveled regularly between provinces.
Ngola, according to his account, was careful to minimize his exposure to the virus during his trip.
A few days after his return, one of his patients tested positive for COVID-19. Ngola was tested and returned a positive test the next day. He immediately went into quarantine.
On the same day, May 27, 2020, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs held a press conference where, according to the statement, he named Ngola – calling him an “irresponsible person” – as the cause of the outbreak of several cases of COVID-19.
“Although Prime Minister Higgs did not mention Dr Ngola by name during the press conference, he knew or should have known that the identity and apparent state of health of Dr Ngola had already been disclosed to the audience via social media ahead of the press conference, ”the statement read.
“Prime Minister Higgs knew or should have known that the public could and identified Dr. Ngola making the connection between the information released at the press conference and the information released on social media. “
What followed were weeks of racial harassment and death threats – some of which called for her lynching – causing Ngola to fear for her safety and that of her daughter, the statement said.
The statement alleges that, with the prospect of provincial elections on the horizon and a major epidemic tarnishing the government’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, Ngola was created by the office of the prime minister, the ministry of Public Safety and the RCMP as a scapegoat.
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“Prime Minister Higgs’ conduct gave legitimacy to a toxic environment which contributed to incitement to public hatred against Dr. Ngola, a racialized immigrant, who, as a result, became a scarred man, threatened with banishment and lynching, “the statement read. of complaint.
There was no scientific evidence to designate Ngola as patient zero in the Campbellton outbreak, he adds.
An RCMP investigation has been initiated. In mid-July 2020, the police told Ngola’s lawyers that he would not be criminally charged. In August 2020, the province announced it would accuse Ngola of non-quarantine. In June 2021, the province announced it would withdraw those charges.
Ngola’s attorney, Joel Etienne, said Ngola asked the New Brunswick government for an apology three times, before being turned away.
The lawsuit cites the defendants – the Attorney General of New Brunswick and the RCMP – for negligence, libel, malicious prosecution and professional misconduct in the performance of public office. Premier Higgs is not named as a defendant.
During a scrum in Fredericton on Friday, Higgs, when questioned by reporters, again refused to apologize and later said he did not regret his comments in May.
“No, everyone had to think about ‘What can I do differently?'” He said. “Because we had a lot of people moving around, especially healthcare professionals crossing borders. We knew the risks they were taking, we knew the risks to the patients, and it’s’ OK, what are we doing to mitigate this? “”
A spokesperson for the New Brunswick RCMP declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying they had yet to see the documentation.
The New Brunswick attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
As he contends that Ngola’s experience was a consequence of “institutional anti-black systemic racism,” the action seeks some form of restorative justice, a public apology, and an investigation into the events surrounding the case, in order to prevent let such a thing never happen again. .
The action also seeks unspecified financial damages.
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