Trudeau moving ahead with COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal public servants
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reaffirming his pre-election pledge to make vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory for federal public servants.
"We're going to ensure the federal public service is vaccinated," the prime minister said while speaking at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Ottawa on Tuesday. "There is a clear requirement of vaccination for anyone who works for the federal government."
The federal government announced in August that it intends to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for all federal public service workers and Canadian Armed Forces members. The federal public service is Ottawa's largest employer.
"[F]or those few who are unable to be vaccinated, accommodation or alternative measures, such as testing and screening, may be determined in each situation, to protect broader public health by reducing the risk of COVID-19," the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat said in a news release on Aug. 13.
Data for the number of public servants who had received COVID-19 vaccines to date was not immediately available but, locally, Ottawa Public Health says 83 per cent of adults 18 and older have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and are considered fully vaccinated.
In a statement Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Treasury Board said that it is assumed public servants are vaccinated at the same rate as the general public.
"We know that 80% of eligible people in Canada are fully vaccinated, and over 85% have had their first shot. While we do not yet have precise numbers on vaccination rates amongst public servants, we do not have reason to believe that the vaccination rate in the public service is different than in the general Canadian population," the Treasury Board said.
What happens to federal workers who refuse to be vaccinated remains unclear. Trudeau told reporters the public service continues to work on its mandatory vaccination plan and he promised additional details in the coming weeks.
"The way through this pandemic, everyone knows, is to ensure as many people as possible get vaccinated," Trudeau said.
Speaking on CTV News Channel's Power Play on Tuesday, Health Minister Patty Hajdu told Evan Solomon that discussions around consequences for unvaccinated employees continue to take place.
"Those are conversations that are happening right now with the federal public service and the unions," Hajdu said. "By and large, people understand we need to protect each other in common spaces, especially workplaces."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.