The Conservative Party is resisting the policy of compulsory vaccination in parliamentary buildings.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole signaled Wednesday after his caucus meeting that the decision made by the Board of Internal Economy (BIS) would be challenged as soon as possible when business resumes in the House of Commons.
“A question of privilege will be raised as quickly as possible […] to challenge the inappropriate conduct and the precedent set by the board of internal management, “because only the House of Commons can determine its composition and conduct,” he said at a press conference in parliament.
Hammering that Justin Trudeau should “be really ashamed of politicizing the issue of vaccines and dividing Canadians,” Erin O’Toole argued that he encouraged “all Canadians, all Quebecers” to get vaccinated against COVID- 19.
However, he declined to say what will happen to MPs who are not vaccinated, simply saying that “all MPs are going to be vaccinated in the House of Commons. [parce que] it is very important ”, and he once again ruled out the option of a hybrid format for the conduct of parliamentary business.
The BIS announced a little over a week ago that from November 22, the opening day of the 44e legislature, no one will be able to enter a building in the parliamentary precinct without being fully vaccinated, arousing the ire of the official opposition, which denounced the opacity of the decision-making process.
The BRI is made up of nine members from each party. Led by the current Speaker of the House of Commons, Liberal Anthony Rota, it is holding its meetings behind closed doors, and on October 19, it ruled: whoever wants to appear on the premises of the House of Commons will have to be fully vaccinated.
The requirement will apply to Members of Parliament and their staff, employees of political research offices, employees of the Administration, members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, business visitors to Parliament, entrepreneurs and officials. consultants, was listed in a press release.
The Liberals, the Bloc and the New Democrats are all in favor of mandatory vaccination of elected officials.
It is therefore already clear that the Conservatives would be in the minority if the matter were put to a vote. Asked to say what would happen, Erin O’Toole confined himself to repeating that his deputies would “respect all the rules and sanitary instructions in place”, before and after a verdict of the House or its president.