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
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
What a U.S. farmworker’s case of bird flu tells us about tracking the infection
A U.S. farmworker who caught bird flu after working with dairy cattle in Texas appears to be the first known case of mammal-to-human transmission of the virus, a new study shows.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.