441-00629 (Health)

The Policy on COVID-19 Vaccination for the Core Public Administration Including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was implemented in the fall of 2021 when vaccination provided a high degree of protection against infection and transmission of COVID-19 viruses. This approach served as an effective public health measure to protect public servants and the communities they worked in.  All employees have had access to Public Health Agency of Canada/Health Canada information about vaccines and how they work so they could understand how vaccination helps protect them and their workplaces against COVID-19.

The Policy is compliant with legislation, including the Privacy Act, the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and collective agreements. On October 21, 2021, the Canadian Human Rights Commission published a guide on vaccination policies and human rights, which states that “Rights are not absolute. […] Requiring that an individual be vaccinated to work or travel is not a discriminatory practice under the Canadian Human Rights Act. Vaccination requirements are not a discriminatory practice because they are intended (and are necessary) to protect public health and safety.” The Policy provides for addressing requests for accommodation based on any prohibited ground of discrimination as defined under the Canadian Human Rights Act, on a case-by-case basis.

Based on the evolving nature of the pandemic and the scientific data, the Government of Canada announced on June 14^th, 2022 that it would suspend vaccination requirements for federal government employees, and effective June 20, 2022, employees of the core public administration would no longer be required to be vaccinated as a condition of employment. Consequently, employees who had been placed on administrative leave without pay as per the Policy, could be reinstated as early as June 20, 2022.

The decision to suspend the Policy is based on the latest scientific evidence related to vaccine effectiveness against transmission and infection with evolving COVID-19 variants. Suspending the Policy allows the Government to easily reinstate it as needed, based on science and public health risk, in the future. 

The Canadian Armed Forces is committed to maintaining its readiness to deliver on Government of Canada missions at home and around the world.

Protecting the readiness of the Canadian Armed Forces means protecting the health and safety of its members. Therefore, the Chief of the Defence Staff issued directives requiring all Canadian Armed Forces members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with the exception of individuals that cannot be fully vaccinated due to a certified medical contraindication, religious grounds, or any other prohibited ground of discrimination as defined in the Canadian Human Rights Act.

COVID-19 vaccination is now included in the minimum standard for vaccination for all operations abroad and for most domestic operations. In addition to the operational requirement, the COVID-19 vaccination is a condition for enrolment into the Canadian Armed Forces.

The Canadian Armed Forces is assessing the role of COVID-19 vaccination requirements as a preventative health measure, taking into consideration the best scientific and medical evidence available, operational considerations, and any risks to the health of its members in a persistent COVID-19 environment. In the meantime, the Chief of Defence directives will remain in effect. We will continue to prioritize the maintenance of a safe working environment, while remaining ready to conduct operations in support of Canadians.

To help keep people in Canada safe, the Government of Canada put in place border measures to reduce the risk of the importation and transmission of COVID-19 and new variants in Canada related to international travel.

Adjustments to Canada’s border measures are made possible by a number of factors, including Canada’s high vaccination rate, the increasing availability and use of rapid tests to detect infection, the decrease in hospitalizations, and the increasing availability of treatment for COVID-19 in Canada.

As with any other element of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 response, the testing measures required of returning Canadians have been informed by available data, operational considerations, scientific evidence and monitoring of the epidemiological situation across Canada.

Effective April 1, 2022, the Government has removed the requirement for pre-entry testing for fully vaccinated travellers entering Canada. Therefore, fully vaccinated travellers arriving at land, air or marine ports of entry are no longer required to complete a pre-entry test for entry to Canada. Travellers who do not qualify as fully vaccinated, will continue to require testing on day 1 and day 8 of their 14-day quarantine.

The current requirements for travellers arriving in Canada are expected to remain in effect until September 30, 2022. Any easing or modification of the current border restrictions in Canada is done based on the latest scientific evidence and in close consultation with our provincial, territorial and international partners, including industry stakeholders, with the health and safety of Canadians as the top priority.

As vaccination levels and healthcare system capacity improve, the Government of Canada will continue to consider further easing of measures at the borders, and when to lift or adjust those measures to keep people in Canada safe.

On June 14, 2022, the Government of Canada announced the suspension of mandatory vaccination for federalemployees effective June 20, 2022. In alignment with this measure, the Government of Canada will also be suspendingthe COVID-19 Vaccination Policy for Supplier Personnel.

This means that as of June 20, 2022 and until further notice, the vaccination requirements of the policy will no longer bein effect.

Please note that Supplier Personnel may still be required to comply with site-specific workplace health and safetymeasures that have been put in place by federal departments and agencies separately from the policy.

Canada reserves the right to reinstate the policy in the future in alignment with public health guidelines and anyvaccination requirements for the public service.