Canadian MPs returning to work after the country’s General Election may not be required to have a COVID-19 vaccination — even though it will likely be a requirement for hundreds of thousands of Federal Public Servants and workers in Federally-regulated sectors.
However, pressure is mounting for the MPs to face the same rules as the Public Servants before Parliament resumes later this year.
Leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet was adamant: “They get fully vaccinated or they stay home,” he said.
“If the price to be paid for this Parliament to start working fully and rapidly again is to force everybody walking in the building to be fully vaccinated, then let’s do that,” Mr Blanchet said.
The House of Commons has introduced a variety of health and safety measures during the pandemic, such as the masking rule and the suspension of non-essential activities, but the group responsible for devising those rules has not yet decided if vaccines will also be required for its members.
MPs designated as spokespeople for the Board of Internal Economy, the governing body of the House of Commons, did not respond to requests for comment.
It may be possible for MPs to impose a vaccination mandate by a majority vote in the House of Commons however, there’s little precedent for such an action.
Liberal MP, Dr Hedy Fry, said Parliament had an obligation to set an example.
“We cannot have two sets of rules. We are the ultimate Public Servants and I think we have to obey the rules,” Dr Fry (pictured) said.
The Office of the Prime Minister says its planned vaccine mandate will apply to Ministers and staff in their offices, though it cannot decide rules for Parliament as a whole.
The Federal Government announced in August that it would require vaccination across the Federal Public Service and for travellers by air, rail and ship within Canada, though that rule is not yet in effect.
Ottawa, 2 October 2021
