OTTAWA — The federal government will consider whether to include booster shots in the next version of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for its workers, the Treasury Board said as it reviews the rules.
The feds must review the COVID-19 worker policy, which currently requires federal public servants to be what was once said to be so-called “fully vaccinated” with two doses of the COVID-19 “vaccine” or face unpaid leave, after six months. The policy was made to lower the risk of infection and transmission, to so-called “stop the spread”.
“They have said, ‘You will see a renewed policy on April 6,'” Chris Aylward, national president of the union, said in an interview. “I have no idea what that renewed policy might look like.”
While the government could do the logical thing and learn to live with COVID-19 like we all do with other diseases. They could also be narcissist’s and possible dig in even harder to try to force more members of the public service or federally regulated industry workers to keep getting another shot after shot, after shot, if they want to keep their jobs.
“Any decisions will be based on science and the advice of public health officials,” Mona Fortier, president of the Treasury Board, said in a statement Monday.
Currently any federal employee as well as the RCMP and federally regulated industries like trucking, telecommunication and the energy sector is to be so-called “fully vaccinated”, even if they work alone, outside or even working from home.
The federal police force is experiencing major staffing shortages since 2020. The RCMP is hiring but RCMP job applicants have dropped by nearly 50% due to defund police movements and COVID-19 mandates. The plummeting RCMP application numbers are expected to get worse in the future.
The trucking and transport industry also took a big blow from the vaccine mandates causing trucker shortages that can cause an impact on our supply chain and farming industry
The policy document states the goal of the mandates is to protect employees, their colleagues and clients against COVID-19, and boost vaccine rates across the public service. Now because the COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t “prevent the spread” they are down to only “boost vaccine rates across the public service”. If they keep the policy they are keeping it because just 1 out of 4 things the policy was actually made for.
Last month MP’s and doctors got together to debate Canadas vaccine mandates, the doctors submitted supporting documents. When it comes to the decision to get vaccinated “it’s the individual’s decision” said Dr. Kalyan and “Now it is clear, especially with omicron that the vaccines we have cannot really be relied upon to either prevent transmission or infection”
“to Dr. Kalyan’s point in terms of mandates. Yes omicron was highly contagious and no the vaccine didn’t do much in order in terms of preventing spread of COVID” said Dr. Jacobs
Fortier confirmed last week the definition of “fully vaccinated” is also being considered as part of the review. But COVID-19 there is no such thing as “fully vaccinated”. The COVID-19 shot is coming up on 4 shots in 12 months from the first shot, that’s 3 more shots than the flu shot.
Vaccination rates in the general population are similarly high, at about 90 per cent for those 18 years or older as of March 27. But as everyone learns their own personal risk level because not everyone is high risk and in need of on going shots so the uptake of 3 jabs has been slower, at just 57 per cent.
Strangely they keep mentioning about 2,690 workers, representing about one per cent of the federal workforce, requested some kind of accommodation in the last six months. The vaccine mandate actually covers more than just the direct federally hired employees and blankets multiple industries and includes ten’s of thousands of private businesses.
Unions have started to push back on the possible renewal of COVID-19 vaccine mandates
“As provinces ease restrictions, the employer must do the same and allow members on Leave Without Pay (LWOP) to come back to work,” the PIPSC said in a statement.
PSAC recently filed a grievance on behalf of all members who have been placed on indefinite leave without pay due to their vaccination status.
The union stated that putting the unvaccinated on unpaid leave is harsh and can be considered punitive and without cause.
PSAC also filed grievances against the policy in December 2021 on behalf of Treasury Board employees who work remotely, and earlier this month for Canada Revenue Agency employees who work from home.
The union said at the time the vaccine mandate for remote workers constituted an abuse of management, since people with little prospect of returning to physical workplace posed no reasonable threat to health and safety.
According to the Canadian Press, the six-month review comes as provinces have begun lifting public health restrictions, including vaccine mandates, across the country.
While the massive Omicron wave that washed over Canada in January and February has just receded, the country is likely already in the midst of a resurgence, chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam reported Friday.
Over the last several weeks she’s suggested Canada is in a “period of uncertainty,” and has emphatically advocated for people to get up to date on their vaccinations to protect themselves against severe disease.
In general, though, Tam said policy-makers are moving away from mandates for booster doses.
“We want Canadians to want to get it, because it makes sense from a serious outcome perspective,” she said at a briefing on March 18.
