Erin O'Toole Says Canada Doesn't Need 'Division & Pink Slips' For Unvaccinated People

When it comes to COVID-19 vaccines in Canada, Erin O'Toole said that the country should take a "smart approach" to get people vaccinated rather than "division and pink slips."

During a press conference on January 6, the Conservative leader was asked to share his thoughts about people who are still unvaccinated in Canada and accommodations for them.

O'Toole mentioned that there needs to be a "reasonable accommodation" for unvaccinated people in order to keep people safe and keep them from losing their jobs.

"I don't think that position is irrational when people's lives are on the line," he said. "I would rather see that smart approach than division and pink slips."

O'Toole also noted that Canadians need to be given more tools to bring the spread of COVID-19 down while also keeping normalcy in their lives.

"Vaccines are the most important tool we have to fight COVID-19 and we should encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated," O'Toole said.

However, he mentioned that the "reality of the fact" is that a small number of people in Canada will be unvaccinated and so "shaming and causing division" isn't the way to reach vaccine-hesitant people.

Near the end of December, Justin Trudeau revealed that Canada has secured enough booster doses for adults in the country and enough vaccine doses for kids 5 years old and over to get their first dose.

Now, at the beginning of 2022, some places in the country have worked to open up more vaccination appointments, including the city of Toronto, in response to the Omicron variant.

Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.