Transport Canada Saw Travel Mandate as ‘Catalyst’ to Drive Vaccine Uptake: Internal Documents

(L–R) Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure, and Communities Dominic LeBlanc; Transport Minister Omar Alghabra; and Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos make an announcement on ending vaccine mandates for domestic and outbound travellers, federally regulated transportation sector workers, and federal government employees, in Ottawa on June 14, 2022. Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press

Preventing the unvaccinated from taking long-distance public transportation was used as a means to increase vaccination rates, Transport Canada internal documents reveal.

A briefing presented to Transport Minister Omar Alghabra on Oct. 2, 2021, regarding the implementation of the mandate said the strict requirement for vaccination without the alternative to present a negative COVID-19 test would create a “very strong impetus to drive vaccination.”