Sask. premier slams vaccine mandate for truck drivers
On the same day protest convoys rolled through the province's two largest cities, Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe came out against the federal government's new cross-border COVID-19 vaccine mandate for truck drivers.
"We view this as being an unnecessary vaccine mandate for this particular industry," Moe said when asked about the mandate during a press conference in Regina.
The semi convoys that passed through the province on Monday are in reaction to the recent introduction of COVID-19 vaccine requirements for cross-border commercial truck drivers.
"The vast majority of our truckers, our transport guys are vaccinated like the vast majority of the general population."
Moe pointed to a deal Saskatchewan and Manitoba inked with North Dakota last year that helped Prairie truck drivers access vaccines on the U.S. side of the border when doses were more scarce.
"Our truckers were going back and forth throughout this pandemic, they've done so I think largely in a very safe manner," Moe said.
The Saskatchewan premier said the widespread availability of rapid COVID-19 tests has also changed the equation for the industry.
"They didn't have these tools available to them a year ago," Moe said.
The fact that transport trucks deliver food and other necessities is also of particular concern for Moe.
"It's an unnecessary policy, and it's one that's going to have, unfortunately, potentially some significant impacts on us accessing essential services, including food and that we need in our communities," Moe said.
In a Jan. 13 news release announcing the measure, the federal government said it will continue to consider "further targeted measures" at Canada's borders "to keep Canadians safe."
Under the new federal rules, unvaccinated drivers who are Canadian citizens, registered under the Indian Act or are permanent residents can not be turned back at the border — but will need to quarantine and undergo testing.
However, unvaccinated "foreign national" drivers will be turned back at the border, according to the federal government.
Additionally, under a new Department of Homeland Security rule which came into effect on Jan. 22, any non-citizen entering the U.S. — including those travelling for essential reasons — must be fully vaccinated.
In a news release, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) said it "strongly disapproves" of the protests against the mandate.
CTA president Stephen Laskowski is instead encouraging unvaccinated drivers to "adapt."
“The Government of Canada and the United States have now made being vaccinated a requirement to cross the border. This regulation is not changing," Laskowski said.
“The only way to cross the border, in a commercial truck or any other vehicle, is to get vaccinated.”
Like Moe, the CTA also said the "vast majority" of truck drivers are already fully vaccinated.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.