OTTAWA – The federal privacy watchdog is investigating “a number of complaints” about the government’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement for public servants.
Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien said in a statement Friday that his office was investigating the concerns, but provided no details given that they are now the subject of “ongoing investigations.”
The Liberal government announced earlier this month that key public servants must be vaccinated against the virus or face suspension without pay as of November 15.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced this week that the provinces and the federal government have agreed on a new national vaccination passport for national and international travel.
Therrien said his office had had “constructive discussions” with federal officials in recent months over the standardized proof of vaccination travel initiative.
“That being said, in recent days our office has received a number of complaints related to the government’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement for federal officials. We will therefore investigate the application of the principles of confidentiality in this context.
He added that although the initiatives are separate, the principles applicable to vaccine passports for travel and the vaccination requirement for federal officials are the same.
“It would therefore be inappropriate to offer any conclusions until we have completed our investigations,” said Therrien.
“As complaints about the public service vaccination requirement are now the subject of ongoing investigations, no further details can be provided.”
Therrien said on Friday that vaccine passports could offer significant public health benefits, but they remain exceptional measures. “They should only be imposed after careful consideration of privacy and other human rights principles.”
In May, Therrien and his counterparts across the country said compliance with laws and principles governing personal information should guide the introduction of proof of vaccination certificates that could ease the transition to post-pandemic life.
In the joint statement, the federal, provincial and territorial privacy commissioners said that to be justified, vaccine passports must be necessary to achieve the intended public health objectives, and that their effectiveness in achieving the objectives must be evidence-based.
The commissioners also said that the privacy risks associated with the initiative must be proportionate to the purpose, the collection of personal information limited, the data used only for the intended purpose and the program has a date of expiry.
“The government has provided us with relevant information for each of these criteria,” Therrien said on Friday. Jim Bronskill
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on October 22, 2021.
“Travel aficionado. Twitter scholar. Writer. Extreme coffee guru. Evil pop culture fanatic.”