Vaccine mandates imposed on eve of election call.

OTTAWA • Two days before an expected election call, the Liberals announced strict new rules for unvaccinated Canadians, forcing public servants and most travellers to take COVID shots.

The sweeping new mandates, which are also expected to apply to employees working in Crown corporations and federally regulated industries, like banking and telecommunications, won’t come in force until October.

Airlines, interprovincial rail service and cruise ships will all be subject to the rules, which will apply to passengers as well as employees.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to visit Rideau Hall Sunday, making the mandates an election issue and potentially subject to the Liberals being reelected.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic Leblanc said the vaccines are proving to be safe and effective and public servants are generally eager to take them.

“We recognize that vaccines are by far the most effective weapon in the fight against COVID-19. And we think the federal public service and Crown agencies and corporations, wants to do the right thing to protect their employees,” he said.

Mathew Clancy, a spokesperson for the federal Conservatives, said the Tories would not mandate vaccines if they were in government and they believe in personal health choices.

“Vaccines are the most important tool in the fight against COVID-19. We encourage every Canadian who is able to get one. Conservatives support Canadians’ right to determine their own health choices,” he said in a statement. “We are in a crisis and Canadians expect reasonable measures, such as rapid testing for those who are not vaccinated, to protect Canadians, especially the most vulnerable.”

One of the Conservative’s MPS, David Yurdiga from Fort Mcmurray — Cold Lake, denounced the policy more strongly.

“This is just another example of the Liberals using severe government overreach for political gain,” he said. “Trudeau’s recent announcement should be alarming to every Canadian. Canadians deserve the right to liberty, whether they choose to be vaccinated or not. Mandating the vaccine as a requirement to work would be the beginning of a slippery slope.”

The Liberals’ position mandating vaccines for federal employees is further than any province has moved so far.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said he won’t mandate vaccines for workers in the health-care sector or education as some groups have called for.

Quebec and Manitoba are both introducing vaccine passport systems, but have not mandated vaccines for health care workers yet.

Federal NDP health critic MP Don Davies said his party supports the government’s move.

“Canadians have made tremendous sacrifices over the past year and a half to keep each other safe. We have to continue to be careful and follow public health advice as we face the fourth wave of the pandemic,” he said. “New Democrats support the government policy announced today.”

Leblanc said the government will work with unions and bargaining agents to work out the details, but he believes public servants will be onside.

“We think the Government of Canada has to lead by example. It’s the country’s biggest employer. We’re also asking federally regulated industries, and they are also some of the largest private sector employers in the country, to take similar measures.”

Canada has among the highest vaccination rates in the world, but Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said with the Delta variant rising the country has to reach the holdouts.

“We are, hopefully, in the final few miles of this marathon, and we need to do additional measures to incentivize and to close this gap to continue on this momentum.”

He said the government wants to move on from COVID and closing the vaccine gap will do it.

“We must protect the hard won gains made by Canadians,” he said. “Canadians deserve to feel confident when travelling.”

Alghabra said having the vaccine mandate will help travel and tourism industries rebound from the damage COVID wrought and both Air Canada and Westjet issued statements welcoming the change.

“We continue to be a strong partner in Canada’s vaccination rollout and are working diligently to implement the government’s policy on mandatory vaccines for airline employees,” said Westjet’s vice-president Mark Porter in a statement.