During a planning meeting in August 2021, Brigadier General Scott Malcom, in his capacity as the Canadian Forces Health Services leader at the time, told his organization that full vaccination was not a requirement to safely deploy a ship. Documents obtained from the meeting by The Epoch Times reveal that Malcom questioned the necessity of implementing a vaccination mandate, despite the lack of evidence supporting such a requirement. The comments attributed to Malcom are part of a string of revelations suggesting the military imposed a mandate against expert advice, leading to lawsuits.
In August 2021, Lieutenant-Colonel Krystle Connerty, a director with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Strategic Joint Staff (SJS), penned an email where she elaborated on concerns expressed by several CAF and Department of National Defence (DND) personnel about the vaccine mandate and its potential consequences. Connerty provided minutes from the Strategic Operations Planning Group meeting, which The Epoch Times obtained through the access to information regime. The email was redacted under solicitor-client privilege, but the comments attributed to various personnel hinted at widespread skepticism about the mandatory vaccination policy.
In the meeting, a legal staff member, Chantal Helwer, raised the point that “we shouldn’t be punishing people for a medical decision.” Other concerns were expressed about the rigidity of the mandate and the violation of people’s charter of rights and freedoms. Despite the creation of a framework for CAF members seeking accommodations, the reality was that very few requests were approved. Additionally, the collection and sharing of vaccination statuses across the CAF was questioned.
The issues surrounding the vaccine mandate led to two groups of CAF members filing lawsuits, as they allege that they experienced vaccine injuries due to the mandate. Legal issues related to privacy and informed consent are being challenged in the court, with a number of grievances reviewed by the Military Grievances External Review Committee concluding that the vaccine mandate breached charter rights.
The CAF’s defense of its vaccine mandate based on medical evidence and operational readiness was noted, although it did not address the specific concerns highlighted by current and former CAF members. The mandate was later eased in October 2022, following the federal government’s removal of its workplace and travel mandates.