Mandatory Vaccination Policy

On September 28^th 2021, the Prime Minister confirmed that a mandatory vaccination policy for federal public servants will be forthcoming.

As we’ve indicated previously, the Association of Justice Counsel (AJC) supports the broadest possible vaccination of Canadians to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, a serious threat to public health which has seen over 1.6 million Canadians infected and resulted in the deaths of more 27,000, and significantly disrupted our lives.

While the details of the mandatory vaccination policy are still being worked out in consultation with unions, including the AJC, we believe that a mandatory vaccination policy must:

• Be reasonable and fair to public servants;
• Balance and respect, to the greatest extent possible, the rights, interests and freedoms at play;
• Recognize that there are legitimate reasons why some public servants may not be vaccinated;
• Accommodate public servants who are not able to be vaccinated due to their individual circumstances and ensure they are treated with dignity and respect;
• Accommodate public servants who have been vaccinated but whose household members are at higher risk;
• Ensure that workplaces where public servants perform their duties are healthy and safe;
• Use other reasonable measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission as necessary to ensure the Employer meets its obligation to ensure a healthy and safe workplace for all, including those with children under 12, and those who are, or have household members that are at high risk.