Conservatives Push Back Against Parliament’s Mandatory Vaccine Requirement for MPs

Conservative MP Blake Richards rises during Question Period successful the House of Commons connected May 27, 2021 successful Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

The Conservative Party is protesting a new mandatory vaccination argumentation that would prohibition members of parliament who aren’t afloat vaccinated from entering the House of Commons’ precinct erstwhile Parliament resumes connected Nov. 22.

The national Conservatives voiced their protestation in a connection aft the House of Commons governing assemblage announced the caller rules connected Oct. 19, requiring MPs and their unit to beryllium afloat vaccinated against COVID-19 to beryllium allowed into the chambers. Individuals with aesculapian exemptions who cannot person a COVID-19 vaccine tin alternatively supply impervious of a caller antagonistic COVID-19 accelerated trial result.

“While we promote everyone who tin beryllium vaccinated to get vaccinated, we cannot hold to 7 MPs, gathering successful secret, deciding which of the 338 MPs, conscionable elected by Canadians, tin participate the House of Commons to correspond their constituents,” Conservative MP Blake Richards said successful the Oct. 20 statement.

Richards is 1 of the 2 Conservative members connected the Board of Internal Economy, which issued the connection declaring the caller mandatory vaccine argumentation aft a closed-door gathering connected Oct. 19. The board besides includes 4 Liberal MPs, 1 Bloc Québécois MP, and 1 NDP MP.

“This [vaccination] request volition use to immoderate idiosyncratic who wishes to participate the House of Commons Precinct, including members and their staff, governmental probe bureau employees, medication employees, members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, parliamentary concern visitors, contractors and consultants,” the board’s connection said.

The Conservatives besides raised objections to much virtual enclosure meetings successful the caller parliamentary session.

“Canadians merit a authorities that is accountable to its constituents and that’s wherefore nether nary circumstances volition Conservatives enactment virtual Parliament,” the party’s connection said.

The Board of Internal Economy’s caller measurement comes arsenic Prime Minister Justin Trudeau consults with absorption leaders connected the instrumentality of the Parliament.

The Liberal Party and the NDP required their candidates to beryllium vaccinated against COVID-19 during the 2021 national predetermination campaign, though the regularisation was not applied to unit members.