O’Toole Says Conservatives Will Abide by Vaccine Mandate for MPs Entering House

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole puts connected his disguise arsenic helium steps up to the podium astatine a quality league connected Parliament Hill, Oct. 27, 2021 successful Ottawa. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says his caucus volition “respect and abide by” the caller vaccine mandate acceptable retired by the House of Commons governing committee, portion vowing to situation the committee that delivered the policy.

The House of Commons’ governing body announced a caller rule connected Oct. 19 that would prohibition members of parliament who aren’t afloat vaccinated from entering the House of Commons precinct erstwhile the caller parliamentary league resumes connected Nov. 22, with exemptions lone offered to those with valid aesculapian reasons.

O’Toole said successful a connection connected Oct. 27 that helium has enactment distant a program successful the Conservative caucus, which the caucus “agreed to respect and abide by caller rules which necessitate Parliamentarians attending successful the House of Commons and Senate to beryllium vaccinated.”

The Conservative person besides promised to rise “a question of privilege” successful the House of Commons to “challenge the improper behaviour and precedent” acceptable by its governing body, the Board of Internal Economy (BOIE), saying that only “the House of Commons itself tin find its creation and conduct.”

Vaccine mandates look to beryllium a contentious contented among the Tories, arsenic the enactment took a antithetic stance connected the contented previously.

On Oct. 20, Tory whip Blake Richards protested the BOIE’s decision.

“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,” Richards said successful a statement.

In an interrogation aired connected Oct. 20, O’Toole told TVO’s Steve Paikin that his enactment volition respect BOIE’s decision. On Oct. 22, O’Toole’s spokesperson said the Conservatives “do not judge that the BOIE has the jurisdiction to infringe connected a Member’s close to instrumentality their spot successful the House of Commons,” according to the National Post.

The BOIE’s regularisation came aft the national authorities announced connected Oct. 6 that “core” national nationalist servants are required to corroborate their vaccination presumption against COVID-19 by Oct. 29, oregon volition beryllium placed connected permission without wage by Nov. 15.