By Canadian Press

Military eases vaccine mandate, presses ahead with discipline for unvaccinated troops

Oct 14, 2022 | 5:08 AM

OTTAWA — Defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre says the military will press ahead with plans to kick out dozens of unvaccinated troops despite changes to its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Eyre unveiled the new vaccine policy saying the previous requirement covering all Canadian Armed Forces personnel will be scaled back.

Vaccines will no longer be a mandatory prerequisite for all of those serving in uniform, and requirements will instead be based on the roles and responsibilities of individual service members.

But Eyre says service members who were already told to leave the military because of their refusal to get vaccinated will still be released.

Eyre says in an interview with The Canadian Press that personnel are expected to follow orders and their refusal to get vaccinated raises questions about their suitability to serve.

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The Department of National Defence says around 300 Armed Forces members were ordered to hang up their uniforms after refusing to get vaccinated, while another 100 have quit voluntarily.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2022.

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press