Trudeau Threatens ‘Consequences’ For Federal Workers Who Are Not Fully Vaccinated

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has warned that “there will be consequences” if certain individuals choose not to get fully vaccinated

Trudeau made the threats last week after making Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for federal workers, as well as passengers on planes and trains in Canada starting in autumn.

He did not specify what the ‘consequences’ would be.

CBC reports: reports: Speaking at a campaign stop in Markham, Ont., Trudeau pushed back against Conservative claims that the government’s vaccination policy is not all that different from what their leader, Erin O’Toole, has proposed to ensure the safety of federal workplaces.

“We’re unequivocal that civil servants must be vaccinated. If anyone doesn’t have a legitimate medical reason for not getting fully vaccinated — or chooses to not get vaccinated — there will be consequences,” Trudeau said, without explaining what sort of punishment a bureaucrat could face for shunning the vaccine.

The Treasury Board Secretariat — the central government agency that is nominally the employer of all public servants — posted a letter online recently saying bureaucrats who refuse vaccination can instead undergo rapid testing before starting a shift. O’Toole, who is firmly opposed to mandatory vaccination, has proposed a similar policy, saying all Canadians should be allowed to choose whether they get vaccinated.

O’Toole said that, rather than requiring that public servants and travellers get the shot, a government led by him would require them to pass a rapid test before going into work or, in the case of travellers, boarding a bus, train, plane or ship.

The Treasury Board yanked the message from its website late Monday after the Conservatives held it up as evidence that Trudeau’s hard line on vaccinations was all for show, and accused him of trying to mislead Canadians about how the vaccine mandate would be enforced.