by: phil tankwhat’s the issue?
requirements for proof of vaccination against covid-19 became an early issue in this federal election campaign, with liberal leader justin trudeau trying to establish the matter as a key wedge issue.trudeau tried to paint conservative leader erin o’toole as opposed to such vaccine mandates, to capitalize on the growing popularity of the concept.little wonder that he tried to exploit the vaccine mandate issue as more canadians become fully vaccinated amid the rising cases driven by the more contagious delta variant.the fully vaccinated, who are now approaching 67 per cent of all canadians, including those under 12 who are not eligible to receive doses, increasingly support restrictions for people who remain eligible yet unvaccinated.support for proof of vaccination to take part in some activities or enter some venues has registered as high as 75 per cent in opinion polls.trudeau’s proposed approach would impose a requirement to produce proof of vaccination for all federal employees, and to board planes and trains. it’s unclear exactly how the system would work, but the federal government is working on a national vaccine passport for international travel.trudeau also pledged a billion dollars to help provinces set up their own vaccine mandates. ndp leader jagmeet singh backs trudeau’s approach, but wants the government to move faster on a national vaccine passport. singh has also suggested federal workers could be fired for refusing to get vaccinated.o’toole prefers an exemption to allow unvaccinated federal workers and plane and train travellers the option of presenting a negative test result to continue to work and travel.
what’s at stake?
for the supporters of proof of vaccination, the issue represents a common sense approach to protect public health amid a fourth wave of the pandemic.opponents see it as an infringement on their rights. the far-right fringe has suggested vaccine passports represent the first step toward totalitarianism, with freedom itself at stake.people’s party of canada leader maxime bernier has repeated this rhetoric and seen a rise in support in opinion polls that could affect some electoral races.ultimately, though, the vaccine requirement system that could affect most people’s daily lives, outside of plane and train travel, remains the jurisdiction of the provinces.most canadians now live in a province that has either imposed a proof of vaccine system or is moving toward one.saskatchewan and alberta remain the obvious holdouts, despite leading the nation in active covid-19 cases and new cases by substantial margins. the two provinces also lag the rest of the nation in the share of their population that is vaccinated.but even saskatchewan party premier scott moe has voiced support for vaccine mandates like the one coming from the saskatchewan roughriders, and introduced a rule that requires front-line health-care workers to provide proof of vaccination.it remains to be seen how the apparent vaccine hesitancy in saskatchewan might benefit people’s party candidates in saskatchewan’s 14 ridings.
what does it all mean?
a lot could hinge on the recovery from the pandemic, including people’s lives.a severe fourth wave could also hinder economic growth through the reintroduction of pandemic restrictions or simply the hesitancy of people to resume normal life with cases rising.many see the imposition of vaccine mandates as key to economic recovery, both in terms of allowing vaccinated people to feel safe and to encourage the hesitant to get the vaccine.while it’s believed only a small percentage of people will absolutely refuse to get vaccinated due to misinformation spread liberally online, the number of unvaccinated people remains much larger.requirements for proof of vaccination are becoming more prevalent beyond the realm of governments; professional sports teams and other venues are stepping up in the absence of political action.even under o’toole’s plan, travel will become extremely onerous for those who remain unvaccinated, since they will need to obtain proof of a negative covid-19 test.the rise of vaccine requirements could convince people who are hesitant that the hassles of remaining unvaccinated are too much.that could mean a more rapid return to life as we knew it before the pandemic.whether people will cast their votes in the federal election based on the parties’ positions on vaccination mandates is another matter.
ptank@postmedia.comtwitter.com/thinktanksk
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