One federal department suspended several employees without pay under its vaccine mandate, even though virtually its entire workforce, 99%, had a COVID-19 shot, according an internal audit..Cabinet has yet to disclose the total number of staff targeted under the now-disbanded vaccine mandate, according to Blacklock's Reporter..“The vast majority, 99%, attested as being fully vaccinated,” said an internal audit at the Department of Environment. Of 8,530 employees, a total of 89 staff asked for vaccine waivers on medical or religious grounds..Fifty-five employees were suspended without pay for declining to disclose their medical status, said the Audit Of The Environment Canada Application And Implementation Of The Policy On Covid-19 Vaccination. Six of the 55 subsequently took a COVID-19 shot..“The policy had to be implemented within one month of becoming effective,” wrote auditors. “The framework was therefore developed very quickly.”.“Employees who were not willing to be vaccinated or disclose their vaccination status were required to attend an online training session on the COVID-19 vaccination within two weeks after the attestation deadline,” wrote auditors..“After that two week period employees who remained unvaccinated or who did not attest or who did not obtain an accommodation request approval were to be placed on administrative leave without pay.”.The COVID-19 vaccine mandate was introduced Nov. 15, 2021 affecting some 283,000 federal employees. The order was suspended last June 20. At least 2,560 workers were suspended, based on piecemeal payroll records tabled in Parliament..Attorney General David Lametti said June 15 he was positive courts would uphold the mandates amid numerous legal challenges. “We are on solid legal footing,” Lametti told reporters. “That is the analysis that I do.”.“Has the government done the legal analysis that it knows will stand up in court?” asked a reporter. “I give my advice to cabinet so I’m not going to give it to you,” replied Lametti. “I’m not giving you a legal opinion. I give my legal opinions to cabinet.”.“I always believe that when we promulgate a law we’re on solid legal footing,” said Lametti. “That’s part of my job.”.“But the mandates weren’t a law,” said a reporter. “We’re confident whether it’s a law, whether it’s a regulation that we promulgate or a rule that we promulgate, we’re confident that we’re on solid legal footing,” replied Lametti..Department of Health lawyers writing in a 1996 Canadian National Report On Immunization described vaccine mandates as unlawful. “Unlike some countries immunization is not mandatory in Canada,” said the report. “It cannot be made mandatory because of the Canadian Constitution.”
