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A group of ombudsmen from across Canada are warning premiers and other officials of the legal risks associated with requiring people to show vaccine passports, or other proof of vaccination, to access services.
On May 26, the Canadian Council of Parliamentary Ombudsman (CCPO) released a guide Wednesday that outlines how provincial and territorial governments mitigate human-rights complaints and legal challenges if they plan to institute vaccine passports, The Globe and Mail reports.
The guide is based on creating fair, transparent rules and says that new laws or policies should be made to give clear guidance and those laws should be publicly available with a built in review and appeal process. New rules should also accommodate those who can’t get vaccinated for medical reasons, the guide says.
CCPO President and Ombudsman for Nova Scotia Bill Smith told The Globe and Mail that officials did not want to inadvertently affect somebody’s right or access to a government provided service due to lacking a vaccine passport.
“You could see how something as simple as taking a driving test might demand a vaccine certificate, or accessing a recreational arena,” he said.
Recently, Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial privacy commissioners issued a similar joint statement urging caution to politicians planning to bring in vaccine passports.
Smith told The Globe and Mail that until now provinces have only been discussing creating vaccine passport programs, and although some provinces are considering instituting the passports, others have already come out rejecting them.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has said his government won’t require or provide vaccine passports, saying that anyone in Alberta who needed proof of vaccination to travel internationally could use the documentation they received when they got their vaccine.
British Columbia’s Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry said that she does not want proof of vaccination to be required on Canada’s West Coast, and that she had support from the premier.
“This virus has shown us that there are inequities in our society that have been exacerbated by this pandemic, and there is no way that we will recommend inequities be increased by use of things like vaccine passports for services [or] for public access here in British Columbia,” she said.
However, the Ontario government discussed issuing vaccine “immunity certificates,” The Globe and Mail reports, but Premier Doug Ford’s head of communications has said that the government is examining all options and has not decided on creating such a system.
Quebec sends residents electronic proof of vaccination, but the provincial government has said it is still deciding on issuing vaccine passports, The Globe and Mail reports.
As the pace of vaccination picks up across Canada and the globe, there are increasing discussions around the implications of mandatory vaccinations. With some employers now wanting to make vaccinations a stipulation for employment, the impasse between individuals that don’t want a vaccine, and employers that want them vaccinated has grown into a controversy about whether employers can mandate vaccination for on-site workers.
Tell us your thoughts about vaccine passports and mandatory vaccination in the comments section!
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39 thoughts onCanadian Ombudsmen Warn Officials of Legal Risks Associated With Vaccine Passports
We are soon to be silenced in even more creative ways. We must help ourselves out of this nightmare because it’s being crafted to stay. Our CBC is heading us straight into hell. Good job .would like to join the class action.
I was refused exemption by my doctor in Alberta. The college of physicians and surgeon’s stand on the subject is nobody is exempt, this is a violation of my human and health rights. Firstly this is an experimental drug, no statistics have been provided by any drug companies.
I have already personally suffered from 3 pharmaceutical misadventure
1. Rantidine.. I have stage 4 colon cancer from using this product. Still haven’t seen anything dispite “class action ” I was diagnosed as palliative.
2. Folfiri my chemotherapy drug the fluorouracil component, gave me a drug induced heart attack, apparently very rare. According to 2nd oncologist.
3. I now need my 3rd hernia repair as mesh doesn’t work, yet my surgeon and hospital used this product in my surgery despite it being reported as non-effective in hernia repairs.
I have been discriminated against because, I refuse to get this injection. It’s a miracle I’m alive considering I was diagnosed as palliative. I am not having someone experiment on my immune system. Also I am surprised these arrogant doctors don’t test, as its rare to be alive 5 years with palliative stage 4 cancer.
I was also refused my ct scan as the man calling was very abusive. This whole b.s. thing isn’t about an injection. It’s about whether you are sick. Yet they continue to discriminate, causing isolation, anxiety and even a loser PM pushing for people to bully us and shame us. Calling us racist and women haters. Because he is too stupid to know the definition of his words.
The government is taking away are rights and freedoms
I am also not vexed and would love to join a lawsuit!