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
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
WATCH Video shows dramatic police takedown of carjacking suspects chased through parking lot north of Toronto
Police have released video footage of a dramatic takedown of a group of teens wanted in connection with an attempted carjacking in Markham earlier this month.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
WHO likely to issue wider alert on contaminated cough syrup
The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.
Tesla recalling nearly 4,000 Cybertrucks because accelerator pedal can get stuck
Tesla is recalling 3,878 of its 2024 Cybertrucks after it discovered that the accelerator pedal can become stuck, potentially causing the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally and increase the risk of a crash.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
A couple lost their wedding rings during the ceremony. Two strangers found a fitting solution
Every good wedding has to have one teensy, tiny crisis.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.