B.C. Tory opposes vaccine mandate for MPs

Vaccinated member says requirement violates ‘parliamentary privilege’

OTTAWA—A Conservative MP and former Tory whip says parliamentarians should be allowed to work in the House of Commons even if they choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a position he believes is consistent with his party leader’s opposition to vaccination mandates during the recent election campaign.

Mark Strahl, the Conservative MP for the British Columbia riding of Chilliwack—Hope, told the Star on Tuesday that he opposes any vaccination requirement for MPs returning to Ottawa after this year’s federal election.

He argued the safety of MPs and employees of Parliament can be secured through alternatives like daily rapid tests, and that vaccination requirements would violate the principle of “parliamentary privilege” that guarantees members of the House of Commons can carry out their duties.

“I know it’s kind of quaint — archaic, maybe — to talk about parliamentary privilege during a pandemic, but it’s been upheld through many crises … We’d better be very, very careful that we don’t cavalierly toss it aside,” said Strahl, who was first elected in 2011 and served as the Tories’ chief opposition whip from 2017 until last fall.

Strahl said he is inoculated against COVID-19, but defended MPs who might choose not to get vaccinated, stating there are a “million reasons” why someone would opt not to get their shots.

“There should be options for people who just feel they cannot take a vaccine,” he said.

Asked whether his position aligns with that of Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, Strahl said the leader was “very clear” during the recent election campaign that the party does not support mandatory vaccinations for government workers and plane travellers — even while it does encourage everyone to get vaccinated.

“All I can do is rely on what Mr. O’Toole said during the election campaign, which wasn’t that long ago,” Strahl said. “I would assume that he wouldn’t have changed his mind on that without consulting caucus.”

Representatives of O’Toole’s office did not respond to questions from the Star on Tuesday about Strahl’s comments.

His statements come ahead of an expected debate on Parliament Hill over whether to create a vaccination requirement for MPs that is similar to what the federal government is already demanding of about 300,000 workers in the public service and almost one million employees in industries that are regulated by Ottawa including aviation and telecommunications.

When announcing that requirement last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said parties in the Commons will “have to figure out how to move forward” with their own approach to vaccinations in light of parliamentary privileges, and singled out O’Toole’s Conservatives for not taking an “unequivocal” stand to support vaccination requirements during the federal election campaign this summer.

O’Toole has also refused to say whether all Conservative MPs elected last month are vaccinated.

The House currently has no policy on COVID-19 vaccinations for MPs, and any rules would be set by the special allparty committee called the Board of Internal Economy, according to a statement from Heather Bradley, spokesperson for the House speaker.

But the Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Québécois have said they want all MPs who work inside the House of Commons to be vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they have a valid medical exemption.

In a statement Tuesday, Simon Ross, a spokesperson for Liberal House Leader Pablo Rodriguez, said the question of vaccinated MPs will be “a key part of future discussions” ahead of the return of Parliament later this year.

Part of that discussion could involve allowing MPs to continue to participate virtually, as they did before the election. However, Bloc Leader YvesFrançois Blanchet said last week that his party opposes any “hybrid” arrangement and that unvaccinated MPs should “stay home.”

In an emailed statement to the Star on Tuesday, Blake Richards, the Conservatives’ current whip in Parliament, also ruled out any scenario in which the party would support virtual participation in the House of Commons.

The NDP, meanwhile, is open to virtual participation, but believes every MP working inside the House of Commons should be vaccinated, spokesperson Mélanie Richer said Tuesday.