Health experts critical of Canadian truckers vaccination exemption plea

TORONTO — Canada’s trucking industry wants the federal government and the U.S. to exempt their workers from forthcoming vaccination mandates, but health experts say the proposal is problematic.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance is arguing that if the government sticks to its current plan requiring all truckers crossing into Canada to be fully-vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 15, the country’s supply chain issues and worker shortages will worsen.

The CTA wants the government to keep the exemption it granted truckers when vaccines became available earlier this year until the country resolves its supply chain issues.

However, health experts say that exemption would be unfair because other industries are facing worker shortages too and not being granted an exception.

Timothy Sly, a professor emeritus at Ryerson University’s School of Occupational and Public Health, believes the truckers shouldn’t get an exemption because they’re making deliveries all over North America and can easily bring the virus along with them to uninfected places.

He says these workers have had enough time to get their shots and should rise to the occasion, especially because a new variant is spreading.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2021.

The Canadian Press