Conservatives say they're against decision to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for MPs

The federal Conservatives—the only caucus yet to confirm how many of its MPs remain unvaccinated—have come out in opposition to the new mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy announced by the House of Commons. The decision taken by a cross-party committee of MPs that means that as of Nov. 22, anyone entering the House of Commons precinct will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The decision to implement a vaccine mandate was made on Tuesday by the Board of Internal Economy, a cross-party committee of nine MPs in House leadership roles, including Conservatives. It will require anyone entering the House of Commons precinct to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Nov. 22, when the 44th Parliament kicks off.

The Conservatives say that they don’t think it should be up to a committee of MPs to decide who can and cannot enter spaces on Parliament Hill, though the committee has historically overseen the workings of the House of Commons.

“While we encourage everyone who can be vaccinated to get vaccinated, we cannot agree to seven MPs, meeting in secret, deciding which of the 338 MPs, just elected by Canadians, can enter the House of Commons to represent their constituents,” said Conservative whip Blake Richards in a statement.

Richards is one of the two Conservative members on the board, which held a closed-door meeting on Tuesday.