Poilievre touts anti-vaccine mandate bill while promising 'bodily autonomy' for all Canadians

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre rose in the House of Commons Tuesday to urge other MPs to adopt legislation that would prohibit Ottawa from again imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates on federal workers and the travelling public.

Poilievre first introduced the private member's bill, C-278, last year when he was running for the party's leadership.

It has since been picked up by Conservative MP Dean Allison, a noted anti-mandate critic who, like his leader, supported the trucker convoy that loudly opposed the government's approach to COVID-19.

The legislation is not expected to pass the Commons when it comes up for a vote later today. Poilievre's promotion of the bill, however, suggests the Tories are not yet ready to drop their opposition to the COVID policies that outraged some in the party base.

Poilievre said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "maliciously divided" and attacked Canadians who shunned the COVID-19 vaccine by imposing an "unreasonable" policy that forced some people to get the shot or face consequences like job losses or additional hurdles at the border.

"He divided, insulted and name-called millions of people right across this country who are patriotic, law-abiding, decent people," Poilievre said of the government's now-defunct vaccine mandate policy.

Trudeau went beyond "guiding and protecting Canadians to punishing people who chose not to take the COVID-19 vaccine," Poilievre said.

Days after announcing the mandate, Trudeau "called an election and attempted to exploit that political moment in order to regain power," Poilievre said.

The policy did feature prominently in the 2021 federal election as the Liberal Party routinely highlighted ex-leader Erin O'Toole's opposition to the mandates.

There hasn't been a COVID-19-related mandate in place since last year, when Ottawa dismantled its regime as the virus became more manageable.

When the vaccination requirement for federal public servants was lifted in June 2022, employees who had been placed on leave without pay had a chance to return to their regular work duties.

Poilievre argued the legislation is necessary now because Ottawa could reimpose its mandates.

Poilievre said he supports "bodily autonomy" and believes all Canadians can decide for themselves what they put in their own bodies.

The vast majority of the party's delegates at a recent policy convention agreed with that position.