by: ryan tumilty
ottawa — unvaccinated travellers have until the end of the month to get vaccinated or they won’t be able to take-off, and public servants who don’t get the jab could soon be suspended or even fired, under new vaccine mandates introduced wednesday.
the sweeping mandate, which prime minister justin trudeau promised during the campaign, require all air travellers, rail passengers and people travelling on cruise ships to be vaccinated as of oct. 30.
trudeau insisted this is a necessary step to reach the holdouts who have not been vaccinated and allow canadians to return to a more normal life.
“when it comes to keeping you and your family safe, when it comes to avoiding lockdowns for everyone.. this is no time for half measures,” he told a morning press conference.
for the first month travellers will be able to substitute a negative covid-19 test for proof of vaccination, but that exemption will end on nov. 30. there will continue to be medical exemptions, but trudeau said they will be rare and anyone who can should get vaccinated.
“exemptions, whether they’re medical exemptions or otherwise, will be exceedingly narrow, specific, and to be honest somewhat onerous to obtain,” he said. “simply having a personal conviction that vaccines are bad will not be nearly enough to qualify for an exemption.”