Federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate: Here’s what we know, what we don’t – National

Proof of COVID-19 vaccination might be required by no later than the tip of October for all staff in Canada’s federally regulated workplaces. And, by mid-November, enforcement measures in place will be sure that the requirement is carried out.

The official announcement got here from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday and included necessary vaccination for journey inside Canada. Since making the promise to take action again in August, Treasury Board officers have been sketching out specifics of the plan with unions, together with holding discussions on penalties for employees who refuse vaccination.

Right here’s a have a look at what we all know concerning the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate to this point.

Beginning Oct. 30, the brand new coverage requires vaccinations for anybody 12 years or older wishing to board a airplane or a prepare in Canada, barring slender medical exceptions.

This isn’t particular to federal staff — it consists of all passengers flying on home, transborder or worldwide flights departing from airports in Canada, and rail passengers on VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains. Marine passengers on non-essential passenger vessels, like cruise ships or voyages extending 24 hours or extra, should even be vaccinated.

“Testing will not be an choice earlier than boarding,” Trudeau clarified at a information convention.

“For the huge, overwhelming majority of individuals, the foundations are quite simple,” he continued. “To journey, you’ve obtained to be vaccinated.”

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“These journey measures, together with necessary vaccination for federal staff, are a number of the strongest on this planet. As a result of in terms of preserving you and your loved ones protected, in terms of avoiding lockdowns for everybody, that is no time for half measures,” he added.

Which means that anybody wishing to board a airplane or prepare should have obtained a second jab of a Well being Canada-approved vaccine no less than 14 days earlier than their travels.

At present, Well being Canada has 4 authorized vaccines in opposition to COVID-19: AstraZeneca Vaxzevria, Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty, Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) and Moderna Spikevax.

For travellers who’re within the technique of being vaccinated, there might be a brief window inside which they’ll journey offered they provide a sound COVID-19 molecular take a look at inside 72 hours of journey.

Nonetheless, by Nov. 30, that window, too, will shut and all travellers would require full vaccination earlier than hopping aboard. Restricted exceptions might be accessible to handle particular conditions like emergency journey and might be prolonged to these medically unable to be vaccinated.

For these in core public service — together with air journey and rail staff — full vaccination in opposition to COVID-19 is necessary by Oct. 29. They need to attest that they’re totally vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19, failing which, they are going to be placed on unpaid administrative depart.

“The attestation for the general public service is step one with extreme penalties for anybody who’s discovered to have been misrepresenting themselves,” Trudeau stated whereas chatting with reporters Wednesday.

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“And, we’re putting in important processes to make sure that these attestations are, in truth, actual.”

Nonetheless, it appears unclear in the meanwhile how the federal government goes to find out whose attestation is true or false.

The brand new mandate impacts greater than 267,000 core public-service and RCMP employees and consists of even those that earn a living from home and outdoors of Canada. They are going to be required to supply an attestation of their COVID-19 vaccine standing on-line, which might be tracked and audited by departments. Respective division managers can ask for proof of vaccination at any time.

Beginning Nov. 15, disciplinary actions, together with firings, might be thought of in opposition to staff who present false attestations. Nonetheless, individuals who have had just one dose might be given 10 weeks to get their second jab earlier than they’re placed on unpaid administrative depart.

They won’t be allowed again at work till they’re both totally vaccinated or the coverage is not in impact.

Those that falsify data or in any other case fail to adjust to the brand new federal vaccine coverage are prone to face fines. Transport Canada will monitor compliance by way of inspections and enforcement instruments.

Railway corporations can face fines as much as $250,000 per violation, per day, beneath the Railway Security Act.

Within the air sector, travellers or staff may be fined as much as $5,000 per violation beneath the Aeronautics Act, whereas operators may be $25,000 in fines per violation.

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Within the marine sector, non-compliant staff and travellers can face fines as much as $250,000 per violation, per day. For operators, the fines can go as much as $250,000 per violation, per day, in keeping with the interim order within the Canada Delivery Act, 2001.

The federal government is working with employers of airport companies, airline and rail corporations to develop their very own necessary vaccine insurance policies by the tip of the month.

There might be “very restricted exceptions” to the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for travellers to handle “the realities of distant, fly-in communities; emergency journey; and distinctive medical causes,” the prime minister’s workplace stated in a press release launched Wednesday.

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Whereas lodging might be made for individuals who can’t get a vaccine on grounds protected beneath the Canadian Human Rights Act, which incorporates spiritual and well being causes, Trudeau promised that the exemptions might be troublesome to acquire, and having a private perception that vaccines are “unhealthy” is not going to work.

World Information has reached out to the Treasury Board of Canada for the specifics of such spiritual and health-based exemptions however didn’t hear again on the time of publication.

The prime minister has maintained that the “intent of those measures is to make sure that anybody working for the federal public service, that anybody wishing to journey on a airplane or a prepare be vaccinated and exemptions — whether or not they’re medical exemptions or in any other case — might be exceedingly slender, particular and, to be sincere, considerably onerous to acquire.

“We’ll, in fact, work with, as we’re with Well being Canada, on defining these medical exemptions on different companions, on different exemptions. However let me say that merely having a private conviction that vaccines are unhealthy is not going to be practically sufficient to qualify for an exemption to that.”

–with information from Aaron D’Andrea and The Canadian Press 

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