OTTAWA-
Canada’s top military commander said he would ‘modify’ the armed forces’ vaccination mandate over the next few weeks, but defended vaccine requirements as necessary to ensure the military is ready to respond to any emergency.
“It’s an institution unlike any other because we have to be operationally ready, we are the nation’s insurance policy,” said Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre, to The Canadian Press in an interview.
“We have to go to dangerous places and shut down confined neighborhoods, we have to deploy overseas, where there is potentially an increased threat with the pandemic. We also don’t know the trajectory of this pandemic, where it going to go in the future.”
When Eyre ordered all troops to be vaccinated against COVID-19 last October, he said it was both to protect the force and “show leadership” as the Liberal government passed mandates immunization across the federal public service.
The public service vaccination mandate was suspended in June but that of the army persists, which has intensified criticism of the army’s policy.
The Department of National Defense said more than 98% of Canadian soldiers complied with the order. Defense Minister Anita Anand was informed in June that 1,137 people were still unvaccinated.
Those who refuse vaccination run the risk of being forcibly expelled from the army. The department says 241 unvaccinated soldiers have been ousted with disciplinary action initiated against hundreds more.
Eyre said he was trying to find the “sweet spot” between the military’s medical, legal, operational and ethical requirements.
“We must maintain our operational viability in the future,” he said. “So over the next few weeks we’ll adjust the policy, we’ll post something changed. But we also have to realize that this is a dynamic environment, and things can change, the trajectory of the pandemic So we also have to maintain that flexibility.”
He added that not only have the military been called upon to help communities across Canada that have been impacted by the pandemic, but vaccine requirements still exist in many allied and foreign nations and militaries.
The US military still requires all troops to be vaccinated, as do some NATO installations and bases.
“There are going to be operational requirements where operating with allies, (vaccination) is going to be essential,” he said. “But as we move forward, the options are developed taking into account those four factors that I talked about and finding the right balance.”
Eyre’s comments appear to contradict a draft of a revised vaccine policy obtained by the Ottawa Citizen last month, which suggested vaccine requirements for military personnel would be lifted.
The draft document, which officials said was not approved by Eyre, said military personnel as well as new recruits would no longer have to attest to their vaccination status.
The document also noted potential legal difficulties ahead in dealing with people who have been kicked out of the military due to the vaccine mandate, suggesting they could be forced to seek re-enlistment.
By contrast, other unvaccinated federal officials were placed on unpaid leave but allowed to return to work when the term was suspended.
The military warrant has been unsuccessfully challenged several times in Federal Court, most recently last month.
Phillip Millar, the London, Ont.-based attorney who appeared in court seeking an injunction on behalf of the unvaccinated service members, said the court ultimately decided it could not rule on the matter until that the new policy was not published.
Millar, who also represents James Topp, an Army reservist tasked with speaking out publicly against federal vaccination mandates while wearing his uniform, said he was disappointed with the decision given the lack of timeline for the new policy.
“The military is deliberately dragging its feet in this new direction because they just want to kick people out,” Millar asserted, adding, “It’s obviously political policy, not operational policy.”
Eyre would not say if members of the Armed Forces are still being deported or if those releases have been put on hold pending the results of his review.
The Department of Defense says there have been more than 9,500 cases of COVID-19 among military personnel, including 113 active cases as of August 1. He did not say whether there have been any deaths associated with the disease.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on August 9, 2022.