Canada’s Federal Privacy Commissioner is investigating a number of complaints about the country’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement for Public Servants.
Federal Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien refused to give further information as the complaints were now the subject of “ongoing investigations”.
The Government announced in October that core Public Servants must be vaccinated against the virus by 15 November or face suspension without pay.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced that the Provinces and the Federal Government had agreed on a new national vaccine passport for domestic and international travel.
Mr Therrien (pictured) said his office has had “constructive discussions” with Federal officials over the past few months on a standardised proof-of-vaccination for travel.
“That being said, in recent days, our office has received a number of complaints related to the Government’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement for Federal Public Servants,” Mr Therrien said.
“We will therefore be investigating the application of privacy principles in this context.”
He added that although the two issues were being handled separately, the principles applicable to vaccine passports for travel and to the vaccination requirement for Federal Public Servants were the same.
“It would, therefore, be inappropriate to offer conclusions until we have completed our investigations,” the Commissioner said.
Earlier, he had said vaccine passports might offer significant public health benefits but they remained exceptional measures and should be imposed “only after careful consideration of privacy and other human rights principles”.
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia’s Minister for Health, Michelle Thompson has advised that needles need to be going into arms now if health-care workers or any other members of the Provincial Public Service want to avoid missing time from work.
Ms Thompson said the Provincial Government had set a deadline of 30 November for all Public Service workers to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19.
She said failure to meet that deadline would result in workers being placed on unpaid leave.
Ottawa, 24 October 2021
