Canadian Medical Association ‘disappointed’ by Quebec, Ontario not mandating COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare workers

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) says it is disappointed by the decisions of the Quebec and Ontario governments to not require mandatory COVID-19 vaccination of healthcare workers. 

When governments are unable to adopt every health measure necessary to protect their populations during a pandemic because it will mean that current staffing shortages will worsen, it’s a mark of ongoing system failure. #CDNhealth #CDNpolihttps://t.co/D1bzCiInS3

— Canadian Medical Association (@CMA_Docs) November 4, 2021

In a statement released Thursday, CMA President Dr. Katharine Smart says the CMA joined the Canadian Nurses Association, in calling for mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for healthcare workers who “have a duty of care towards patients and the public.”

The statement comes a day after the Quebec provincial government announced it would drop its previously announced vaccine requirements for health workers. Ontario Premier Doug Ford also announced Wednesday that Ontario would do the same.

“Implementing a province-wide vaccine mandate for hospital workers can negatively impact the care patients receive,” he said in a statement,” said Ford in a statement.

Smart says the health system has been neglected for so long that the health, wellness and supply of health workers are at critically low levels. 

“When governments are unable to adopt every health measure necessary to protect their populations during a pandemic because it will mean that current staffing shortages will worsen,” said Smart in a statement. “It’s a mark of ongoing system failure.”

She added that discussions of a fifth wave of COVID-19 are already underway, and that people need to bring solutions to the crisis now.