Transport Canada Predicted Vaccine Mandate Would ‘Provoke a Response’ and Lead to ‘Awkward’ Situations

Protesters stand on the back of a truck during the Freedom Convoy demonstrations against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Jan. 29, 2022. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

The federal government predicted there would be a backlash to its “strict” COVID-19 vaccine mandate as “sympathetic/vulnerable” Canadians would be denied travel, an internal document shows.

A briefing delivered to Transport Minister Omar Alghabra on Oct. 2, 2021, laid out the main aspects of the travel vaccine mandate policy that would come into force on Oct. 30.