The new rule comes into force on the day the 44th session of Parliament begins.
“This requirement will apply to anyone wishing to enter the House of Commons, including Members of Parliament and their assistants, administrations, representatives of the parliamentary press, contractors and consultants,” President Anthony Rota said in a statement. communicated.
An all-party committee that oversees the work of the House of Commons made the decision Tuesday after a two-hour closed-door meeting.
“Details regarding the implementation of this decision are being worked out and will be announced at a later date,” the speaker said in a statement. “These decisions were made in accordance with current public health department guidelines to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the work environment. “
The Liberals, the New Democrats and the Bloc Québécois have said that all of their MPs are fully immunized, but the Conservatives still refuse to say how many of their MPs have been immunized.
Given the time the rule went into effect, unvaccinated Conservative MPs may not be able to enter the Parliament building next month unless they have a medical exemption.
Under the new policy, in cases where people have a medical contraindication to vaccination, they will be required to provide proof of a recent negative COVID-19 rapid antigen test in order to enter parliamentary buildings. These requirements do not apply to persons under the age of 12.
In addition to mandatory vaccinations, the multi-stakeholder committee also decided to extend existing covid restrictions until January 31, 2022, including wearing a mask.
by Adrian Wyld (CANADIAN PRESS).
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