MONTREAL — Experts are questioning the trucking industry’s hardline stance against the vaccination mandate for drivers and say the sector should have been better prepared for the January deadline.
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The Liberal government announced in November that all Canadian truckers seeking to cross the border from the United States would have to be vaccinated to avoid a 14-day quarantine, a policy that took effect last Saturday.
Warning of the damage this could cause to an already strained supply chain, the Canadian Trucking Alliance has repeatedly urged the federal government over the past two months to exempt the industry from the rules. cross-border regulations on vaccines, or to postpone their entry into force until 2023.
Director of Dalhousie University’s School of Public Administration, Lori Turnbull, questioned the wisdom of the truckers’ lobbying strategy, given the firmness with which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has asserted his position in favor of compulsory vaccination during the federal election campaign last year.
Andrew Steele, vice president of consultancy firm StrategyCorp, points out that polls show that public opinion is broadly in favor of strong vaccine requirements for essential workers, and that companies and trade groups should be in able to detect the mood of the audience.
Video: Ontario deconfines, Quebec waits (Le Devoir)
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Quebec will impose a “health contribution” for unvaccinated adults
François Legault announces that adults who refuse to receive a first dose of vaccine against COVID-19 in the coming weeks will have to “pay a new health contribution”. It will be “a significant amount”, specified the Prime Minister. “There is unfortunately a small minority, we are talking about 10%, who refuse to be vaccinated. I understand and I feel this discontent with regard to this minority which comes, all things considered, to clog our hospitals. It’s shocking, it puts a burden. François Legault In addition, the day after the resignation of Dr. Horacio Arruda, Mr. Legault praised his work at the head of the National Directorate of Public Health since the appearance of COVID-19 two years ago. Faced with a “certain erosion of the population’s support” for the measures adopted to curb the outbreak of cases – and hospitalizations -, Mr. Arruda had given the day before the “possibility” to the head of the Quebec government to ” to replace”. It is the President and CEO of the National Institute of Excellence in Health and Social Services (INESSS), Luc Boileau, who succeeds Dr. Arruda “on an interim basis”. “He has all the skills to occupy this position”, argued Mr. Legault, who sees “advantages” in the appointment of a new manager full of “energy” at the helm of the National Directorate of Public Health. Dr. Arruda will remain with the Department of Health where he holds the title of Assistant Deputy Minister. His role “is to be defined,” said Mr. Legault.
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What are the symptoms of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant?
The most common symptoms are therefore: sore throat, cough, nasal congestion, headache, generalized muscle pain and severe fatigue. These first symptoms, if they remain mild, can be difficult to differentiate from a simple cold, admit the specialists. During the first waves of COVID-19, up to 48% of patients reported loss of smell and taste. For Omicron, this proportion would be less. Much more contagious, the new Omicron variant infects even fully vaccinated people, a major difference from Delta. Patients therefore often face it with a form of immunity, which “certainly influences” the symptoms, notes virologist Benoit Barbeau. The incubation period, or the time between exposure to the virus and the appearance of the first symptoms, could be as little as three days, according to some studies. There are no conclusive data yet indicating whether the Omicron variant is more or less likely to cause long-lasting COVID in people with the disease. If symptoms are present, the first thing to do is self-isolate and get tested, preferably a rapid home test. “Even if your rapid test is negative, but you experience these symptoms, isolate yourself,” recommends virologist Benoit Barbeau.
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Overview of the new isolation and screening guidelines
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The Canadian Trucking Alliance and the American Trucking Associations say up to 26,000 of the 160,000 drivers who regularly cross the Canada-US border are likely to be sidelined due to the vaccination requirement in both countries.
On Sunday, a “freedom convoy” of heavy goods vehicles is set to leave British Columbia and head to Ottawa to take part in a protest against mandatory vaccinations at the end of next week.
Trade groups say that while several trucking companies have 100% vaccination rates and have offered bonuses to workers who get bitten, the majority of fleets don’t need vaccinations.
In contrast, other federally regulated companies, such as Royal Bank, Bank of Montreal, Sun Life Financial and Canada Life require that employees working on site be fully immunized.
Canadian Company Trucking Association president Mike Millian says his organization can do little more than provide education to member companies and encourage them to encourage vaccination among their drivers.
Companies in this story: (TSX:RY, TSX:BMO, TSX:SLF, TSX:CL)
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