Under the Government of Canada’s mandatory vaccination policy for federal public servants, employees who were not fully vaccinated, or who did not provide an attestation regarding their vaccination status by October 29, 2021, face being put on administrative leave without pay (LWOP) by the employer on November 15, 2021.
The following document is intended to provide members with an overview of what to expect under different scenarios.
- Except for accommodations due to medical reasons or based on a protected human rights ground, we strongly recommend that all members get vaccinated.
- Do not misrepresent your vaccination status. Under the policy, at this time, employees who choose to remain unvaccinated will be put on leave without pay but will not be disciplined. However, false statements regarding your vaccination status could result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Your attestation must be truthful.
- If you are put on LWOP under the policy or are disciplined by the employer as a result of the policy, and you wish to grieve, contact your Branch President. In the context of the employer’s vaccination policy, you should only file a grievance after being placed on LWOP.
If you’re fully vaccinated but have not completed the attestation
Complete the attestation as soon as possible online, at:
https://www.canada.ca/en/government/publicservice/covid-19/vaccination-public-service/status.html
Note: This service is only accessible on the Government of Canada network.
If you are not fully vaccinated but intend on completing the vaccination process
If you are not fully vaccinated yet, you should aim to complete the process as soon as possible. As per the policy, partially vaccinated employees can be placed on LWOP if they do not receive their second dose within 10 weeks of the first one.
If you are unable to be vaccinated and require an accommodation
The policy allows for employees who are unable to be vaccinated — based on a certified medical contraindication, a religious exemption, or another prohibited ground of discrimination as per the Canadian Human Rights Act — to request an accommodation.
Members who wish to submit an accommodation request should:
- Inform their manager of their intention to ask for an accommodation as soon as possible.
- Obtain the necessary documentation justifying the request from relevant authorities (for example, a qualified medical professional or religious authority figure), as members will be asked to provide supporting documentation to their manager.
- Contact the CIU Human Rights Representative, Murray Star, at murray.star@ciu-sdi.ca for additional guidance, if needed.
It may take some time for management to review requests. Some requests may not be processed by November 15, and the employer has indicated that employees who have submitted an accommodation request would be accommodated pending a final decision.
Should your accommodation request be denied, contact your Branch President. We will continue to defend our members to the best of our abilities.
If you are not fully vaccinated and don’t intend to complete the vaccination process, or if you do not want to disclose your vaccination status
If you are not fully vaccinated or if you do not disclose your vaccination status, it is likely that you will be asked to attend an online training session on COVID-19 vaccination between October 29 and November 15. After November 15, it is likely that you will be put on LWOP until your vaccination status changes, at which point your pay will be reinstated. Partially vaccinated employees will have 10 weeks to receive their second dose after the first one.
- 699 leave (or any leave with pay) will not be available for employees who are not vaccinated or who do not disclose their vaccination status.
If you are put on LWOP as per the policy and wish to file a grievance
- If you are put on LWOP under the policy and you wish to grieve, contact your Branch President. You should only file a grievance after being placed on LWOP.
- We will support grievances to the best of our abilities. Each case that is brought forward will be thoroughly assessed based on individual circumstances and merit.
- Note: The grievance redress process is lengthy, and swift resolution is unlikely.
If you have a question that was not covered above
For complementary information (including Human Rights complaints, policy grievance, privacy rights complaints, leave, etc.), please see these previous publications:
