In a press conference held today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he has asked the Clerk of the Privy Council to consider mandatory vaccinations for federal employees. The government is also “looking at federally regulated industries to encourage or perhaps even to mandate vaccinations for those industries.”

The Prime Minister’s comments come after U.S. President Joe Biden announced last week that all federal workers must be vaccinated or get tested for COVID-19 at least once per week. Calls are also growing from medical professionals across Canada for mandatory vaccines for health care workers.

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam has echoed the importance of vaccinations in bringing people back to workplaces as the Delta variant continues to spread.

“I think the federal government, being a significant workforce, is looking at how we best protect our workforce as well as those around us. So I think everything is being reviewed and examined right now,” she said, noting those conversations are underway.

“It’s really important … if we’re going to have people come back to work, that everyone should get the vaccine.”

Currently, the Federal Government has not provided any further details on the likelihood that it will mandate vaccinations for federal workers, but we will continue to provide updates on this and other COVID-19 developments.

If you have any questions about this topic, or any questions relating to workplace law in the federal sector generally, please do not hesitate to contact a Mathews Dinsdale lawyer.