The federal government wants to impose mandatory COVID-19 vaccination on employees of banks, telecommunications companies, postal services, and other federally regulated businesses. Several of these companies have already required their employees to be vaccinated.
Since last August, Ottawa has required all federal public servants, as well as employees in the air, rail and marine transport sectors to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Federal Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan announced on Tuesday that a regulation will extend this obligation to more workers. It provides for the entry into force of this new regulation at the beginning of 2022, after a short consultation period.
Since the summer, Canadian banks, without waiting for Ottawa, have imposed vaccination rules on their employees one after the other. Thus, since November 1, all workers entering TD Bank premises must be fully vaccinated.
It is not known how many employees in federally regulated companies were still exempt from the vaccine requirement. There are around 955,000 employees in these companies, according to figures provided by the Federal Ministry of Labor.
As for federal officials, to obey the regulations imposed in August, they had only to present a certificate, without proof of vaccination, claiming to have been vaccinated. Among them, 95% said they were fully; 98% had attested to having received at least one dose of vaccine.
“Making vaccination mandatory in all federally regulated workplaces will protect workers, their families, and their communities. This will help us finish the fight against COVID-19 and maintain a strong and lasting economic recovery, ”Minister O’Regan said in the statement released Tuesday morning.