(Canadian Press)

By Canadian Press

Ottawa to require all federal employees to get COVID shot

Aug 13, 2021 | 11:23 AM

Ottawa is requiring that federal employees be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Dominic LeBlanc, president of the Privy Council, says the government expects employers in federally regulated industries to do the same.

There are close to half a million people who work directly for the federal government, a Crown corporation, the military or the RCMP.

Nearly a million more work in federally regulated industries, which includes banks and airlines.

“We know vaccinations are the best way to help protect our fellow Canadians from COVID-19 variants of concern,” says LeBlanc. “We are encouraged by the many federal employees who have already been vaccinated and hope that vaccination rates will continue to climb as the Government of Canada moves ahead on its vaccination strategy.”

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a week ago that he had asked the nation’s top bureaucrat to consider the mandate.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says by the fall, there will also be a vaccine requirement for transportation workers.

“The Government of Canada is leading by example in requiring vaccinations for public service employees, and we are asking all federally regulated employers to develop vaccine plans to ensure their employees and workplaces are safe,” Alghabra says. “This is the right thing to do and will ensure Canada continues to build back better from the global COVID-19 pandemic.”

At last count, nearly 82 per cent of Canadians 12 and older had at least one dose of vaccine, while 70 per cent had been fully vaccinated.

In Alberta, 76.6 per cent of those eligible have received one dose, while 67.4 per cent are fully vaccinated.

As of July 29, 2021, 5,311 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the federal public service, the government says.