All elected Liberal, NDP MPs will be vaccinated, Conservatives still won't say

With just two days until election day, the Conservative Party won't say whether they will require any candidates elected to be members of Parliament to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before heading to sit in the House of Commons, in contrast to the positions of the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois.

Throughout the campaign the Conservatives have refused to say how many of their candidates have been fully vaccinated, and now they also will not confirm whether they will be required to be vaccinated before taking their seats in Ottawa.

In a statement to CTVNews.ca when asked again, Conservative spokesperson Mathew Clancy offered the same message the party has been stating throughout this campaign, that: “vaccines are safe and effective, and we encourage every Canadian who is able to do so, to get vaccinated.”

Just days before calling the election, Trudeau announced that the federal government would be making COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for federal public service workers as well as those in the federally regulated transportation sector. Some ambiguity remains about what would happen to those who refuse to be immunized. Trudeau has suggested there would be consequences, but also said that he would work with union representation.

While MPs wouldn’t fall under these rules, departmental staff would, as would administration staff in the House, Senate, and Library of Parliament. The policy, which is set to take effect in October, would also apply to any commercial air, interprovincial train and cruise ship passengers.