Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government won’t be taking any half-measures when it comes to protecting the health and safety of Canadians who wish to travel and will be introducing mandatory vaccination requirements for all travellers by next month.
By the end of November, anyone over the age of 12 will be required to be fully vaccinated to travel by plane or by train, and COVID-19 rapid testing before boarding will no longer be an option.
“You deserve the freedom to be safe from COVID-19 and to get back to the things you love,” said Trudeau. “If you haven’t gotten your shots yet but want to travel this winter, there will only be a few extremely narrow exemptions like a valid medical condition.”
“For the vast, vast majority of people, the rules are very simple. To travel, you’ve got to be vaccinated,” he explains.
Trudeau was joined by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland for the announcement, which included her announcing that all federal workers and Canadian Armed Forces members will also be required to be fully vaccinated by October 29.
If a worker does not wish to be vaccinated or does not disclose their vaccination status by then, they will be placed on administrative leave with no pay. Trudeau made the two mandates part of his re-election campaign last month.
“These measures are some of the strongest in the world,” adds Trudeau. “Because when it comes to keeping you and your family safe when it comes to avoiding lock-downs for everyone, this is no time for half-measures.”
As it stands, about 89 per cent of Canadians have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with roughly 82 per cent being fully vaccinated. In Northwestern Ontario, about 87 per cent have their first dose and 80 per cent have their second dose.
To close out the announcement, Trudeau would later apologize for travelling on the first annual Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30, opposed to attending one of the country’s many gatherings.