Federal public servants, RCMP and air and rail travellers must be vaccinated by month's end, Trudeau says

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled his government's mandatory vaccine policy today, a mandate that will require public servants to get their COVID-19 shots by month's end or be forced into an unpaid leave of absence. All would-be travellers must also be fully vaccinated by Oct. 30 to board a plane, train or marine vessel.

To bolster stalled vaccination rates, the federal government will require all of its employees in the "core public administration" and the RCMP to be fully vaccinated by the end of the month or apply for a medical or religious exemption.

Federal contractors, like cleaning staff, must also be double-dosed to gain access to a government building. The estimated 267,000 employees covered by this policy must report their vaccination status by Oct. 29.

If, two weeks after that date, employees still haven't had their shots or received some sort of accommodation under the Canadian Human Rights Act, then they will face "disciplinary action that could ultimately cost them their job," a senior government official said at a technical briefing with reporters ahead of Trudeau's announcement.

Unvaccinated employees will be barred from going to work, either in person or remotely, and they will be put on administrative leave and denied pay. A senior official said these employees will not qualify for employment insurance (EI) benefits.

The employees who fall under this mandate will not have to produce their proof of vaccination documents — rather, this mandate will essentially rely on the honour system in that employees will have to sign an attestation form certifying that they've had the necessary shots.

"Lying would mean disciplinary measures would be taken. It's consequential for an employee to lie," a senior government official said.