TORONTO – New federal crackdown on mandatory vaccination. Starting from October 30, all civil servants and those traveling by plane, train or ship aged 12 and over will have to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The turning point was announced today by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Christya Freeland, following a measure that had already been presented during the electoral campaign that preceded the vote on September 20. 

The liberal leader underlined how the government has opted for the hard line against no vax public employees: starting from mid-October the state workers who will not be vaccinated against Covid will be put on unpaid leave, the antechamber of dismissal.

Exceptions will be accepted – added Trudeau – for medical and religious reasons, but every request will be examined with the utmost attention.

The vaccination obligation will also affect civil servants who work remotely – and therefore do not have to go to the office – and workers of numerous parastatal agencies.

Vaccination obligation also for state workers working in the air, rail and maritime transport sector. In this case, however, the request for mandatory vaccination is also extended to those who use these services, i.e. passengers.

Starting from October 30, all travelers who are at least 12 years old – and who can therefore be vaccinated with the Pfizer or moderna – will have to provide the vaccination certificate documenting the immunization against Covid-19.

There will be a limited window period of four weeks in which the negative swab will be accepted instead of certification, to allow those who have taken only the first dose to complicate their vaccination path. After this period, there will be no more exceptions, except for proven medical reasons.

During the press conference to present the measure, the Prime Minister also reiterated his regret for not having taken part in the celebrations of the first national day for Truth and Reconciliation.

“I made a mistake and I regret it. The first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation was supposed to be a day when indigenous and non-indigenous people would have to reflect and connect, think about the past in order to focus on the future.”