(Ottawa) Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for anyone entering buildings run by the House of Commons in Ottawa could cause serious headaches for Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole.
So far, his party refuses to disclose how many of its 118 MPs are adequately vaccinated against the disease as Canada crosses its fourth wave of the pandemic.
The Tories argue that such a requirement to run for parliament violates their individual rights, but the party has yet to say whether it will challenge the decision.
At the same time, the Conservatives are calling for the presence of all 338 federal deputies at the opening of the next parliamentary session on November 22.
Mr O’Toole, who had contracted COVID-19, personally encourages people to get vaccinated against the disease, but at the same time says he respects individual health choices.
PHOTO ADRIAN WYLD, ARCHIVES THE CANADIAN PRESS
Curator Erin O’Toole
The majority of federal and provincial political parties are transparent about the vaccination status of their members, but not all legislatures require compulsory vaccination against COVID-19 for elected officials.
All members of Parliament from Quebec, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador say they are adequately vaccinated.
Most are also in Ontario and New Brunswick, with some exceptions for medical reasons.
In Manitoba, only two MPs did not disclose their immunization status.
In Ottawa, the Conservative Party of Canada’s refusal to disclose the immunization status of its 118 MPs has upset Leader Erin O’Toole since a Commons committee voted in favor of mandatory vaccinations for employees, politicians, journalists and others. visitors to parliament.
No such decision has yet been taken in the Senate, which establishes its own operating rules.
According to the latest count from The Canadian Press, 79 of 119 elected Conservatives confirmed that they had received two doses of the vaccine. Two confirmed that they had not been vaccinated, for medical reasons. One MP said he was partially vaccinated and two others said they refused, on principle, to disclose their status. The remaining 35 simply did not respond.