Vaccines dominated the first week of the campaign, with all parties grappling with issues around return to work and the possibility of a fourth wave of COVID-19. Mandatory vaccination has been attempted to be used as a wedge issue to differentiate the parties this election, prompting concerns from some public health officials who are concerned it will undermine vaccination efforts.
The Liberals suggested that all public servants would be required to be vaccinated, in addition to workers and some travellers in the federally regulated transportation sector. The Liberals declined to specify how they would enforce this requirement and a memo suggesting that unvaccinated public servants could opt for rapid testing was removed from the government’s website, prompting the Conservatives to claim that the Liberal commitment was no different than theirs and to claim that the public service had been politicized during an election campaign.
The Conservatives would not implement a mandate and would instead require unvaccinated civil servants to take a daily COVID-19 rapid test.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said federal civil servants who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 should face the possibility of discipline or even be fired.
The Liberal commitment mirrors an August 13 news release from the Treasury Board Secretariat which also states that the government will work with Crown corporations and other employers in the federally regulated to implement vaccine requirements. In addition, the government is also calling on organizations beyond the federally regulated sector to put in place vaccination strategies, drawing on the advice and guidance available from public health authorities and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.
Mandatory vaccination has also become an issue beyond the federal sphere, as provinces such as Ontario and New Brunswick also begun implementing mandatory vaccination policies within their jurisdiction.
The cost of living also came to the fore this week with new polling suggesting that affordability and cost of living is the number one issue for Canadians this election. Housing affordability has been a topic of concern for Canadians for some time, but combined with new inflation numbers suggesting Canada's annual inflation rate accelerating to 3.7% in July, its fastest clip since May 2011 this week, put cost of living on the election trail this week.
Federal Conservatives cheered an election win in Nova Scotia this week, trumpeting it is a success for the party, however, the Nova Scotia PC leader attempted to distance himself from the federal party during the provincial election campaign so it remains to seen whether this can be considered a sign of changing fortunes for the federal Conservatives in Atlantic.
CCUA will continue to follow the issue of mandatory vaccines, and others of concern to credit unions, closely and provide the latest updates in both the weekly ‘Election Watch’ updates and the regular GR updates.