The Liberals reversed a scheme to force truckers travelling between provinces to be vaccinated, says Blacklock’s Reporter..“Vaccine mandates are something we continue to listen to stakeholders very keenly with but things change,” Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan told reporters on Wednesday..“Public health changes, science changes. Lots of things are changing. It’s very much in flux.”.“Are we still on with the vaccination mandate for interprovincial truckers?” asked a reporter..“Interprovincial? No, no,” replied O’Regan..“We are listening,” said O’Regan..“What does that mean?” asked a reporter..“It means we’re listening,” replied O’Regan..Transport Minister Omar Alghabra last August 13 first proposed a vaccine mandate for private employers..“We are requiring federally regulated employers to adjust their rules to ensure a mandate is imposed,” he said at the time..But Alghabra said Wednesday he had nothing to do with an interprovincial truckers’ mandate..“That is something Minister O’Regan is consulting on,” said Alghabra..“He’s the minister in charge of this. He’s consulting on that.”.“Do you think we should go ahead?” asked a reporter..“I think it would be wise of me to wait until I see what he says with his consultation,” replied Alghabra..The labour department last December 7 issued a notice proposing amendments to the Canada Labour Code to mandate vaccines for all federally regulated private-sector employers..Regulations “would come into force in early 2022,” said the notice..“Making vaccination mandatory across all federally regulated workplaces will protect workers,” O’Regan said at the time..The Freedom Convoy subsequently blockaded Parliament from January 28 and one industry group warned of disastrous consequences if an interprovincial trucking mandate was enforced..“Implementation of that rule will set us up for guaranteed failure,” Rick Bergmann of Steinbach, Man., chair of the Canadian Pork Council, testified February 14 at the Commons agriculture committee..“The reality is we’re experiencing a significant shortage of trucks and trailers to haul hogs across Canada and the situation is worse than publicly stated.”.Bergmann said 72% of livestock haulers were vaccinated, below the national average of 85%..“The Government of Canada’s additional vaccination rules announced December 7 for employees of all federally regulated workplaces will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” he said.
