Liberal Party of Canada discuss plans to bring back vaccine mandates

BY PAUL JUNOR

A news release from the Government of Canada on June 14^th, 2022, stated, “Following a successful campaign, 32 million (or nearly 90%) of eligible Canadians have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and case counts have decreased. Canadians have stepped up to protect themselves and the people around them, and rates of hospitalization and deaths are also decreasing across the country, and Canada has one of the highest rates of vaccination in the world.”

The press release extols the benefits of vaccination and encourages Canadians to “Keep up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including booster doses to get ready for the fall.”

The press release states that effective June 20^th, 2022, the following will go into effect:

• The vaccination requirements to board a plane or train in Canada will be suspended.
• In addition, federally regulated transport sector employers will no longer be required to have mandatory vaccination in place for employees.

On May 6^th, 2023, the Liberal Party of Canada concluded its national policy convention in Ottawa. It was the first in-person gathering since 2018 and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to run in the next general election. One of the revelations that was released was phone records by Tanya Rowlands who interviewed a Liberal Party MP on May 8^th, 2023. It confirmed that the Trudeau Government engaged in discussions regarding re-introducing the contentious and widely unpopular vaccine mandates after ensuring that it is “approved.” Orlewicz mentioned that Canadians who received two COVID-19 vaccinations are considered “unvaccinated” and would be eligible to receive future vaccinations.

The Liberal platforms show that mandatory vaccination is part of its agenda. It states, “To finish the fight against COVID-19, protect people at work, ensure businesses can get back up to speed, and most importantly make sure our kids can safely return to school, we need to do everything we can to keep public spaces safe.” It notes further that if the Liberal government is re-elected in the next election, it will:

• Require that travellers on interprovincial trains, commercial flights, cruise ships, and other federally regulated vessels be vaccinated.
• Ensure vaccinations across the federal public service: as the country’s largest employer, this will protect the health and safety of the federal public servants and their communities across Canada.
• They will also keep working with employers in Crown corporations and federally regulated workplaces to ensure vaccination is prioritized for workers in these sectors.

An article in BMJ Public Health by Dr Kevin Bardosh and others titled, “The unintended consequences of COVID-19 vaccine policy: why mandates, passports and restrictions may cause more harm than good,” notes, “Restricting people’s access to work, education, public transport and social life based on COVID-19 vaccination status infringes on human rights, promotes stigma and social polarization, and adversely affects health and well-being. Current policies may lead to a widening of health and economic inequalities, detrimental long-term impacts on trust in government and scientific institutions, and reduce the uptake of future public health measures, including COVID-19 vaccines as well as routine immunizations.”

The authors note that there is a need to evaluate current COVID-19 vaccine policies due to the negative consequences that arose. They conclude that  ”Leveraging empowering strategies based on trust and public consultation, and improving healthcare services and infrastructure, represent a more sustainable approach to optimizing COVID-19 vaccination programmes and more broadly, the health and well-being of the public.”