A federal labour board will hear the case of a government employee denied a religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. . AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine .Most requests for religious exemptions were denied without explanation, according to Blacklock’s Reporter..“The grievance is neither trivial nor vexatious,” wrote Marie-Claude Perrault, an adjudicator with the Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board. No date for the hearing was set..Jennifer Squires, a senior financial services advisor at Parks Canada, was denied a religious exemption under the agency's 2021 policy on COVID-19 vaccination, which led to her suspension without pay..The Public Service Alliance of Canada, Squires' union, has formally requested a hearing to address how her request was handled..“The remedies she seeks relate to a grave injustice to her,” the Board was told..On Nov. 15, 2021, the Cabinet mandated proof of vaccination for federal employees, leading to the suspension without pay of at least 2,560 individuals, according to official estimates..According to a 2022 Treasury Board report tabled in the Commons, only 26% or 540 employees who applied for a religious exemption were approved..“Managers are not making these decisions on their own,” wrote the Board. .“They were supported by experienced human resources professionals who receive policy guidance.”.Employees claiming a religious exemption were asked to submit a notarized affidavit. An internal memo dated Oct. 6, 2021, stated that religious exemptions should be granted based on personal spiritual convictions, regardless of the official position of their place of worship..“Honesty Of Belief”.“How does a manager decide whether to approve accommodation for religion? The manager must be satisfied the employee holds a sincere religious belief that prevents them from being fully vaccinated,” said the memo Managers’ Toolkit for the Implementation of the Policy on Covid-19 Vaccination for the Core Public Administration Including the RCMP..The directive was influenced by the landmark Supreme Court ruling on religious freedoms, Syndicat Northcrest v. Amselem, in 2004..“The state is in no position to be, nor should it become, the arbiter of religious dogma,” wrote the Court. .The ruling was issued in response to a case involving Orthodox Jews in Montreal who were accused of violating condo bylaws by constructing “succahs,” which are decorative shelters on their balconies..“Sincerity of belief simply implies an honesty of belief and the Court’s role is to ensure a presently asserted belief is in good faith, neither fictitious nor capricious,” wrote the Court. .Judges added that the consistency of an individual's convictions was irrelevant..Blacklock's previously cited cases where unvaccinated federal employees met the Supreme Court's requirements were suspended without pay..“It hurt so badly,” Evelyn Egboye, a suspended IT project manager with the Bank of Canada, said in a 2021 interview. .“I just wanted to work. How can someone tell me I cannot work?”.Egboye, in a petition to her supervisor, explained as a born-again Christian “I have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour” and cited nine passages from Scripture, including Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”.“Jesus Christ is my Lord and I am subject to His final authority in all matters of life, faith and conscience,” wrote Egboye. .“As a citizen of this great nation and in line with my fundamental rights, I have the right to determine what medical care to accept or refuse.”.Despite Egboye's request for a religious exemption accompanied by a reference letter from her pastor, confirming she belonged to a congregation “commanded to live in light of God’s moral commands” including resistance to mandatory vaccinations, the Bank rejected her petition without explanation..“These are not the people I knew,” said Egboye. .“I think they are being forced to do these things. This is not the culture in the Bank, I know that for sure. Something is not right. This is all about control.”
