Canada: the unvaccinated unemployed deprived of benefits?

An additional restriction for the unvaccinated. Canadian Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough has stated her intention to deprive unemployed Canadians of social benefits who refuse to be vaccinated. And this as long as public health concerns are the priority, reports the Radio Canada site, this Friday, December 31. The Liberals added restrictive benefit clauses, singling out workers who lost their jobs or found themselves cut back on their hours because they refused to be vaccinated. On the other hand, the rules do not apply to those who have a medical prescription.

The minister, also in charge of employment insurance, said the decision was partly economic, to ensure that workplaces are not closed due to the spread of the virus. It also helps encourage more and more resistant Canadians to go for the vaccine.

$ 300 per week for workers under confinement

“As long as the collective public health of Canadians is threatened and our economy is threatened, we must keep public health policy at the top of our decisions in the areas of jobs, labor and the economy.” , said Carla Qualtrough.

Federal aid was changed in December. It is now targeted, as a priority, on the hardest hit sectors and includes a benefit of $ 300 per week for workers subject to confinement. The service is only offered in a region targeted by a containment order linked to Covid-19, specifies the news site.

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“We had to make sure that if something like Omicron happened, we would still have a tool to help Canadians who lost their jobs or faced reduced hours,” added the employment minister.