Trudeau warns of ‘consequences’ for public servants who duck COVID-19 shots – CBC
Trudeau says ‘public service’ dropped online message saying unvaccinated bureaucrats could get tests instead
Aug 17, 2021
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said today the government will demand that virtually all federal public servants get a COVID-19 shot — and warned of workplace repercussions for those who defy the rule.
Speaking at a campaign stop in Markham, Ont., Trudeau pushed back against Conservative claims that the government’s vaccination policy is not all that different from what their leader, Erin O’Toole, has proposed to ensure the safety of federal workplaces.
“We’re unequivocal that civil servants must be vaccinated. If anyone doesn’t have a legitimate medical reason for not getting fully vaccinated — or chooses to not get vaccinated — there will be consequences,” Trudeau said, without explaining what sort of punishment a bureaucrat could face for shunning the vaccine.
The Treasury Board Secretariat — the central government agency that is nominally the employer of all public servants — posted a letter online recently saying bureaucrats who refuse vaccination can instead undergo rapid testing before starting a shift. O’Toole, who is firmly opposed to mandatory vaccination, has proposed a similar policy, saying all Canadians should be allowed to choose whether they get vaccinated.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-consequences-public-servants-vaccines-1.6143735
