Privacy Czar Probing Complaints About Federal Public Service Vaccination Requirement

OTTAWA—The national privateness watchdog is investigating “a fig of complaints” astir the government’s COVID-19 vaccination request for nationalist servants.

Privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien said successful a connection Friday his bureau was looking into the concerns, but provided nary details fixed they are present the taxable of “ongoing investigations.”

The Liberal authorities announced earlier this period that halfway nationalist servants indispensable beryllium vaccinated against the microorganism oregon look suspension without wage arsenic aboriginal arsenic Nov. 15.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau besides announced this week that provinces and the national authorities person agreed connected a caller nationalist vaccine passport for home and planetary travel.

Therrien said his bureau has had “constructive discussions” with national officials implicit the past fewer months connected the standardized proof-of-vaccination for question initiative.

“That being said, successful caller days, our bureau has received a fig of complaints related to the government’s COVID-19 vaccination request for national nationalist servants. We volition truthful beryllium investigating the exertion of privateness principles successful this context.”

He added that though the initiatives are distinct, the principles applicable to vaccine passports for question and to the vaccination request for national nationalist servants are the same.

“It would truthful beryllium inappropriate to connection conclusions until we person completed our investigations,” Therrien said.

“Given the complaints astir the nationalist work vaccination request are present the taxable of ongoing investigations, nary further details tin beryllium provided.”

Therrien said Friday that vaccine passports mightiness connection important nationalist wellness benefits but they stay exceptional measures. “They should lone beryllium imposed aft cautious information of privateness and different quality rights principles.”

In May, Therrien and his counterparts crossed the state said respect for laws and principles governing idiosyncratic accusation indispensable usher instauration of proof-of-vaccination certificates that could creaseless the modulation to post−pandemic life.

In the associated statement, federal, provincial and territorial privateness commissioners said that successful bid to beryllium justified, vaccine passports indispensable beryllium indispensable to execute their intended nationalist wellness purposes, and their effectiveness successful gathering the goals should beryllium evidence-based.

The commissioners besides said privateness risks associated with the inaugural indispensable beryllium proportionate to the purpose, the idiosyncratic accusation postulation limited, the information utilized lone for the intended goal, and the programme person an expiration date.

“The authorities has provided america with accusation applicable to each of these criteria,” Therrien said Friday.

By Jim Bronskill