Te Rōpū Whakatika Kaimahi Hauora | The Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal

Dr Canaday (COVID case)
The charge related to presentations that Dr Canaday gave in July and August 2021, as well as a radio interview.  On each occasion, Dr Canaday addressed the public and gave opinions concerning the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccination and related matters.   

The PCC alleged that the statements Dr Canaday made in the presentations and the radio interview were either misleading or had the potential to mislead, were unprofessional, and had the potential to undermine public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine. The PCC also alleged that some of the statements were disparaging of other health practitioners.  

The Tribunal found that Dr Canaday was careless in his discussion of the potential harms of the COVID-19 vaccine and that he had overrepresented his ability to provide informed advice on the subject. While the Tribunal acknowledged Dr Canaday’s freedom to express his opinion, it noted that his position as a medical practitioner gave credibility to his statements and that he owed his audience more balance in his opinions.

The Tribunal was satisfied that reasonable members of the public would find that some of Dr Canaday’s statements in the context of a global pandemic would tend to lower the standing of the medical profession. For that reason, the Tribunal found some of Dr Canaday’s conduct was sufficiently serious to meet the threshold for professional misconduct warranting discipline. However, the Tribunal was not satisfied that all his conduct reached that threshold.

The Tribunal censured Dr Canaday, imposed conditions on his scope of practice, and ordered that he pay 20% of the total costs of the hearing.

🧷 A copy of the Tribunal’s decision can be found [here]