Wed 06 October 2021:
On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that all rail and air passengers, as well as employees, will be required to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
“Today we are fulfilling two of our main commitments — mandatory vaccination for federal employees and mandatory vaccination for travel,” Trudeau said.
The mandatory vaccine policy proposed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a recent election campaign covers an estimated 300,000 government employees.
Trudeau said that by the end of October all travelers 12 or older on a plane or train within Canada must be fully vaccinated. Trudeau said there will be a short grace period where unvaccinated travelers or staff “can provide a negative Covid-19 test.”
“By the end of November, if you’re 12 or older and want to fly or take the train, you’ll have to be fully vaccinated,” said Trudeau, noting that “testing will no longer be an option before boarding a train or a flight” in Canada.
Trudeau said there will be “extremely narrow exceptions, like a valid medical condition.”
“These travel measures, along with mandatory vaccination for federal employees, are some of the strongest in the world,” the prime minister said.
“This is about keeping people safe on the job, and in their communities,” he added. “Because when it comes to keeping you and your family safe, when it comes to avoiding lockdowns for everyone, this is no time for half measures.”
According to Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, a vaccine mandate for federally regulated workers would be in place by the end of the month.
The mandate will apply to several government entities, including “Correctional Services of Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency, and many other offices and agencies,” according to Freeland.
Separately, Freeland said, defense officials “will issue a directive mandating vaccination for the Canadian Armed Forces, and we are working with employers in federally regulated workplaces.”
