Canada to require Covid vaccinations on almost all public transport

‘We need to reach as many Canadians as we possibly can,’ says Transport Minister Omar Alghabra

Vaccinations will be required of all public servants and on almost all public transportation in Canada, the government there has announced (AP)

Canada’s government has announced it will require Covid-19 vaccinations on almost all public transportation.

“As soon as possible in the Fall and no later than the end of October, the Government of Canada will require employees in the federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation sectors to be vaccinated,” Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in a statement on Friday. “The vaccination requirement will also extend to certain travelers.”

Under the new rules, anyone boarding a commercial airplane, cruise ship, or train that travels through more than one province in Canada will be required to get the shot. Mr Alghabra said this will help the country more quickly escape the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

“Vaccine requirements in the transportation sector will help protect the safety of employees, their families, passengers, their communities and all Canadians,” the minister said. “And more broadly, it will hasten Canada’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The North American country will also require the shots for all public servants, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced.

“This is a mandatory requirement to go to work in a federal workplace or work in the government of Canada,” Mr LeBlanc said.

Any employee of a federally regulated government agency who does not get inoculated, the minister explained, will risk losing their job. There would of course be some exceptions to this rule, he said, but not many.

“Obviously, there will be certain individuals for medical reasons that will not be able to be vaccinated and the appropriate officials will work with them to ensure that the appropriate measures are in place,” Mr LeBlanc went on.

Canada has one of the world’s highest Covid vaccination rates, with 63 per cent of its whole population fully vaccinated. In the United States, by comparison, that number is just 50 per cent.

But Canadian officials believe they can do better.

“We need to reach as many Canadians as we possibly can,” Mr Alghabra said.