Ontario Liberals denounce Liberal MPP who asked for exemptions for unvaccinated health-care workers
Ontario’s Liberal Party is distancing itself from one of its own MPPs after he privately asked the provincial government to help a health-care worker remain on the job while unvaccinated.
Michael Gravelle, who served as a cabinet minister under Premiers Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne, recently sent an email to the Minister of Health and Minister of Long-Term Care looking to help an unvaccinated personal support worker with 30 years experience who lives in Gravelle’s riding of Thunder Bay – Superior North.
The email, sent on Oct. 14, was given to journalists at Queen’s Park by the press secretary to Health Minister Christine Elliott.
“[Name redacted] has chosen not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and now faces job loss due to this decision,” the email from Gravelle reads. “As [an] MPP, I hope that some accommodation of vaccine-refusing workers in Ontario like [name redacted] might be made.”
Gravelle goes on to ask whether regular COVID-19 testing could be an option for health-care workers “who do not want the vaccine and want to keep working.”
Gravelle’s private advocacy comes as the Liberal Party tries to further legislation that would make vaccinations mandatory for the healthcare and education sectors. The bill was tabled by Liberal House Leader John Fraser on Oct. 7 – a week before Gravelle’s email.
The Ford government said, in a statement, the email demonstrates the Liberal party is willing to “say one thing in the media and another behind closed doors.”
“The [Steven] Del Duca Liberals will publicly push forward a bill for mandatory vaccines while privately advocating against mandatory vaccines and their consequences,” the statement from the Minister of Health’s office said.
The Liberal party immediately disavowed Gravelle’s comments.
“MPP Gravelle’s comments were wrong and completely out of line with the Ontario Liberal Party’s position on mandatory vaccinations,” the statement from the party said.
“Health-care and education workers must be fully vaccinated, and we will continue advocating for strong mandates to protect our most vulnerable.”
Gravelle, who remains a member of the Ontario Liberal caucus, later issued a statement of his own supporting his party’s position on mandatory vaccinations.
“I deeply regret that I sent a letter to the government requesting ‘advice’ on potential accommodations for COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care workers in the rovince, including those from my riding,” Gravelle said in a statement.
“In my effort to assist a constituent, I made a mistake and, as I said, I regret doing that.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Quebec judge orders bus driver to stand trial for 2023 daycare crash deaths
A judge has ordered a Quebec man to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of two children killed when a bus rammed into a Montreal-area daycare last year.
Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.