With health-care capacity stretched 鈥渢oo thin鈥 in the face of an unrelenting wave of COVID-19 infections, Canada's health minister says provinces and territories should be considering mandating vaccinations.
鈥淲hat we see now is that our health care system in Canada is fragile, our people are tired. And, the only way that we know to get through COVID-19, this variant and any future variant, is through vaccination," Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters during a federal COVID-19 briefing on Friday.
鈥淧PE, physical distancing, tests鈥 these are all very important tools, but what will make us move through this crisis and end it is vaccination,鈥 he said.
Citing the example of his home province of Quebec, where he said 50 per cent of hospitalizations are due to people being unvaccinated, Duclos said he thinks mandating COVID-19 shots鈥攇oing beyond a vaccine passport system limiting access to certain spaces and activities鈥攕hould be considered.
鈥淚'm signalling this as a conversation which I believe provinces and territories, in support with the federal government, will want to have over the next weeks and months,鈥 said the health minister.
Duclos said that it鈥檚 his personal view, but one that is based on conversations with his provincial health minister counterparts and informed by what he鈥檚 been tracking both domestically and internationally.
鈥淲hether it be they move forward or not, that's going to be their decision to make,鈥 he said.
Canada is facing what Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam called an 鈥渆normous鈥 number of COVID-19 cases, with hospitalization rates increasing exponentially.
鈥淭he capacity is stretched too thin, certainly in the current emergency context,鈥 Duclos said.
On Friday he and his colleague Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc signalled that the federal government鈥檚 capacity to assist is not infinite.
鈥淭hat's also a warning, a kind warning, but a clear warning to some provinces and territories that they need to act now. Because if they don't act sufficiently, it is going to be difficult for the federal government to help after because we don't have the capacity to do so,鈥 said Duclos.
With the country facing a new wave of restrictions, resulting in postponed surgeries for tens of thousands of people, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said earlier this week that he understands why Canadians are 鈥渁ngry鈥 with those who are able to, but so far have refused to get vaccinated.
According to the latest federal figures, more than 87 per cent of Canadians ages 12 and older are fully vaccinated. However, millions of Canadians have chosen to not receive a single COVID-19 dose.
The federal government has imposed a vaccine mandate with limited exemptions for employees in the federal public service and has been working with federally-regulated industries on similar policies. There鈥檚 also a federal requirement to show proof of vaccination to board planes and trains in this country.
Most provinces have also implemented some form of a vaccine passport, permitting only those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter gyms or dine indoors, for example.
On Friday, Alberta Premier any possibility for his government to go down Duclos鈥 suggested path of mandating vaccines.
鈥淎lberta鈥檚 Legislature removed the power of mandatory vaccination from the Public Health Act last year and will not revisit that decision, period,鈥 he tweeted. "While we strongly encourage those who are eligible to get vaccinated, it is ultimately a personal choice that individuals must make.鈥
Earlier this week, in light of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, Quebec announced it will be requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination to access
Over the course of the conversation around mandatory vaccinations, Conservative Leader Erin O鈥橳oole has taken the position that accommodations should be offered to those who are unvaccinated. On Friday the Liberals came out swinging over saying earlier in the week that 鈥渞easonable accommodations鈥 should be offered to the 鈥渟mall number that may not be vaccinated.鈥
The head of Ontario鈥檚 science table, that if all eligible Ontarians had two doses of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine, 鈥渢he health-care system would not be overwhelmed or at the brink of being overwhelmed.鈥
Canada would not be the first country to move forward with compulsory COVID-19 vaccinations. Greece and Austria have announced plans to make vaccines mandatory for certain age groups and impose fines on those who do not comply. And, according to Reuters, Italy is set to follow, making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for people aged 50 and above.
