Tories formally object to vaccine rules

Two Conservative MPs on the committee that imposed a COVID-19 vaccination mandate on Parliament Hill sat out the vote, one revealed Tuesday as their party formally objected to the way the rule was imposed.

Conservative whip Blake Richards said he and Conservative House leader Gerard Deltell abstained from voting when the board of internal economy decided last month everyone working in the Parliament buildings needed to be vaccinated against COVID-19 — or have a medical exemption— by the start of Parliament.

Committee decisions are made by consensus and behind closed doors, making Richards’s admission on the floor of the House of Commons very unusual. But the issue of vaccination mandates is highly polarizing within the Conservative caucus, and the party’s MPs have been under pressure to declare exactly where they stand.

Some are fully in favour, while others say that requiring anyone to be vaccinated — or disclose their status — violates a right to medical privacy.

During this summer’s election campaign, the party officially opposed mandates for COVID-19 vaccinations and said rapid testing could be used instead, leading to criticism that its policies were out of step with public health guidance.