Far-reaching religious exemptions permissible for Treasury Board employees who don’t get vaccinated

According to those documents, the board will grant wide exemptions for those who do not receive the vaccine for reasons that are "religious in nature." This policy is so far-reaching that even atheists can find exemptions from vaccination.

"Will an employee on leave without pay eventually have their employment terminated if they continue to be unwilling to be vaccinated?" an October 8 memo reads.

"The current Policy On Vaccination does not consider termination of employment or a specific end date to leave without pay."

This is in direct contrast to the words of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who just last week said that unvaccinated public servants who did not have a medical exemption would be forced to take unpaid leave.

Trudeau's mandate was to be so far-reaching that even those public servants who worked from home would not be given an exemption from the mandate.

The memo states that employees will be permitted to not disclose their status, and will be able to maintain their salary and benefits.

"How does a manager decide whether to approve accommodation for religion? The manager must be satisfied the employee holds a sincere religious belief that prevents them from being fully vaccinated," said the memo.

"The requirement is to focus on the sincerity of the individual belief rooted in religion, not whether it is recognized by other members of the same religion," wrote the Treasury Board.

"The belief must be religious in nature, not a personal moral belief, and the employee must explain the nature of the belief and why it prevents vaccination."