Ontario Liberals call for mandatory vaccination policy at Queen’s Park
With new vaccinations requirements for health care and education workers set to be implemented in Ontario, one political party wants the compulsory vaccination policies to apply to sitting MPPs at Queen’s Park.
Liberal leader Steven Del Duca is calling for a mandatory vaccination rule for all members of provincial parliament and clear protocols for those who choose to remain unvaccinated, as politicians prepare to return to the legislature on Sept. 13 for the Fall session.
In a letter to Ted Arnott, the Speaker of the Ontario Legislature, Del Duca said elected officials in Ontario should lead-by-example and get vaccinated before returning to Queen’s Park.
“This would ensure the safe continuation of Parliament while reducing the possibility of members and those that assist them from inadvertently contracting COVID-19 and unintentionally transmitting the virus to their families or other vulnerable people in the community,“ Del Duca said in the letter.
Del Duca’s letter, however, doesn’t lay out whether an unvaccinated MPP should be sanctioned or prevented from entering the building and instead urges Arnott to respect the Ontario Human Rights Code.
MPPs, Del Duca says, can remain unvaccinated “should they have a valid reason” and any change in rules shouldn’t prevent an MPP from “fulfilling their democratic duty”, raising questions about how exactly the policy would disrupt the status quo at Queen’s Park.
Currently, MPPs are asked a series of screening questions before entering the building with vaccine status being left off the list. Earlier this year, MPPs agreed to a new mandatory masking rule inside the legislative chamber enforced by the Sergeant-at-Arms.
The appeal to the Speaker, whose office is responsible for policy and operations related to Queen’s Park, comes after a report from QP Briefing in which 27 Progressive Conservative MPPs declined to provide their vaccine status while members of other parties, including the Liberals, NDP and Green Party said their members were fully vaccinated.
CTVNews was unable to independently verify the vaccination status of all 124 MPPs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.