Green leader Annamie Paul rejects mandatory vaccines and 'vaccine passports'

Green leader Annamie Paul has been resistant to accepting the Trudeau Liberals' proposed "vaccine passport" throughout the pre-election campaign. However, she confirmed recently on CBC that her party firmly rejects them.

Paul said that her party does not support vaccine passports. She couldn't raise that issue at the federal level because Parliament was suspended for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's snap election.

"This is one of these things that, first of all, we should have been in Parliament right now talking about because this is the next phase," she said.

Though Paul did not suggest an alternative to vaccine passports, she advocated a panel to work among different levels of government to educate people on the importance of vaccinations.

When asked by reporters on August 16 whether she supported vaccination mandates for federal workers, she did not answer owing to a lack of details at the time.

On August 27, Trudeau announced his party, if re-elected, would create a $1 billion COVID-19 "proof-of vaccination" fund to assist provinces that move forward with vaccine passports. He said it would alleviate costs associated with implementing a program.

"We're not going to tell provinces what it is exactly that is right for them," continued Trudeau, "but we will be there to support them if they move forward with strong, clear mandates that say that people need to be vaccinated to do certain non-essential things."

Though the Green leader said she is fully vaccinated and encourages others to get the vaccine, she added her party is against mandatory vaccination and does not require its candidates to be vaccinated.

Paul could not clarify how many of her candidates were fully vaccinated.

She pivoted and said some people have legitimate reasons not to get vaccinated, as well as those who are hesitant or who come from communities that have had negative experiences with the health care system.

The Green leader asked, "What is the plan to educate those people? What is the plan to alleviate their concerns?"

"Have we explained to those who, for whatever reason, do not want to get vaccinated, but certainly those who have religious or cultural or other reasons, what reasonable accommodations we are going to make for them?" asked Paul.

In a statement, the Liberals said that a re-elected Liberal government would:

• Introduce a "COVID-19 Proof of Vaccination Fund" that will be available to support provinces and territories who implement a requirement for proof-of-vaccine credentials in their jurisdiction for non-essential businesses and public spaces;
• Continue to procure enough vaccines to ensure all Canadians have access to free COVID-19 booster shots and second-generation vaccines as needed, across all provinces and territories; and
• Invest in studying the long-term health impacts of COVID-19, including the effects of “long-COVID” on groups including vulnerable populations and children.

"Vaccines are the best way for Canadians to beat this virus, grow the economy, and keep everyone, including our kids, safe and healthy," wrote Trudeau.

During the leaders' debate, Paul said the controversy on mandatory vaccines "is where policy gets put aside for partisan advantage."

"We need to encourage people to do it, as vaccines save lives. Every single person on the stage has also said that" she continued.

"Of course, there are going to be people who are not able to get vaccinated for specific reasons, and we have to accommodate them reasonably."

Paul maintained her commitment to be guided by science.

"We will never put partisan concerns ahead of public health," she concluded.