Grits slap down own MPP over mandatory vaccines
Gravelle says he made a mistake
Author of the article:Antonella Artuso
Publishing date:Oct 20, 2021 • 8 hours ago • 2 minute read • 7 Comments
Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Michael Gravelle
JOHN LAPPA/THE SUDBURY STAR/QMI AGENCY Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines, makes a point at a Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Sudbury, ON. on Thursday, March 27, 2014. See video at
www.thesudburystar.com PHOTO BY JOHN LAPPA /The Sudbury Star
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While the Ontario Liberals publicly pressured the Doug Ford government for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for health and education workers, a Grit MPP was asking for exemptions for personal support workers.
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Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Michael Gravelle sent a message on Oct. 14 to Long-term Care Minister Rod Phillips and Health Minister Christine Elliott asking for “accommodation of vaccine-refusing workers in Ontario” including a personal support worker from his own riding.
“MPP Gravelle’s comments were wrong and completely out of line with the Ontario Liberal Party’s position on mandatory vaccinations,” a statement from the Ontario Liberals released Wednesday says. “Health care and education workers must be fully vaccinated, and we will continue advocating for strong mandates to protect our most vulnerable. We were the first party to call for vaccine mandates, and our position has not changed at any point: vaccine mandates protect our most vulnerable and no personal-choice exemptions should be considered.”
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During Question Period Wednesday, Liberal MPP John Fraser was urging the government to make vaccinations mandatory for workers in sectors with vulnerable populations.
“It’s perfectly reasonable for families to expect that the person caring for a loved one in hospital, in their own home, at school or in a child care centre, has been vaccinated against COVID-19,” Fraser said. “We know that vaccines reduce transmission, disease, hospitalization and death. We know that seniors, those who are immunocompromised and children under 12 who can’t be vaccinated are very vulnerable to the Delta variant.”
Gravelle issued his own statement expressing deep regret for the letter which he described as a request for advice.
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“I stand firmly behind our Party’s call for mandatory vaccinations and will make that clear in any further exchanges with the government,” Gravelle said. “In my effort to assist a constituent, I made a mistake and, as I said, I regret doing that.”
Elliott said the government continues to analyze this issue on a “daily basis” in consultation with hospitals.
Phillips has directed that unvaccinated long-term care home staff be barred from entering nursing homes.
However, Premier Doug Ford has said he is concerned that tens of thousands of health care workers could be lost with a system-wide mandatory vaccination policy.
The latest public health data shows that 83% of the eligible Ontario population has been fully vaccinated, 4% have had a single dose and 13% are unvaccinated.
The province recorded 304 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, and the last time the daily count was lower was Aug. 5 at 213 cases.
Ontario is following most closely the best case scenario in projections released by the provincial science advisory table on Sept. 28, well below the “status quo” forecast that would see the province with 1,000 new cases a day or the worst case scenario at roughly 3,200 new daily cases and rising.
Provincial hospitals cared for 258 COVID-19 patients, including 159 in intensive care and 113 on ventilators.
Four additional deaths were reported.
aartuso@postmedia.com
Grits slap down own MPP over mandatory vaccines
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