Give MPS a vaccine mandate

It should be a no-brainer.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said all members of the federal civil service will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Civil servants have until Oct. 29 to provide proof of double vaccination. Beginning on Nov. 15, those who haven’t provided proof or who aren’t double vaxxed will be placed on administrative leave without pay. Civil servants who can’t have the jabs for medical reasons can request special accommodation.

The PM has been clear that implementing a vaccine mandate is at the top of his to-do list now that the election is over. As of Oct. 30, travellers in Canada using planes, trains and boats will also be expected to provide proof of full vaccination.

So why in the heck isn’t the same rule in place for MPS, who are expected to return to Parliament Hill in person later this fall?

After more than a year of a hybrid House during the pandemic, with some MPS attending in person and others appearing virtually from home via Zoom, it’s time for them to get back to business, to stand in the House (physically distanced, of course) and represent their constituents — many of whom have vaccine mandates in their own workplaces.

In fairness, most MPS are thought to be fully vaccinated, since during the federal election, the Liberals and New Democrats insisted that their candidates be double vaxxed before they started campaigning. The Bloc Québécois has said all of its candidates are fully vaccinated, while the Greens and the Conservatives encouraged vaccination but did not make it a rule.

So far, Conservative Leader Erin O’toole has been non-committal about whether all his party’s MPS should be fully vaccinated, though he opposed the Liberals’ plans for mandatory vaccines for the civil service during the election.

Media reports have noted that because the way rules are made in the House of Commons, all parties would likely have to agree to mandated vaccination and the decision would probably come from the Board of Internal Economy, the cross-party body that oversees how business unfolds in the House. So, a vaccine mandate for MPS is not something Trudeau can impose on his own. But he’s certainly kicked the ball into O’toole’s court.

“We know that all other MPS in this House will be vaccinated, so it is something for Erin O’toole and the Conservative Party to deal with…” Trudeau told reporters Wednesday.

“We will, of course, engage in as constructive a way as possible, but Canadians expect us both to lead by example, and not be vectors of transmission to each other.”

The bottom line is, if civil servants have to prove they’ve been double vaxxed, MPS should, too.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yvesfrançois Blanchet put it bluntly: “They get fully vaccinated or they stay home.”