Ontario Premier Doug Ford has rejected adding vaccination certificates and mandating immunizations in workplaces, but one legal expert who's argued in favour of so-called vaccine passports believes they're inevitable.
"I think the tide is really turning," with more people supporting the idea, said Bryan Thomas, a research associate with the Centre for Law, Policy and Health Ethics at the University of Ottawa.
If the government doesn't create some form of proof of vaccination, he expects those in the private sector will "and it'll just be a wild west with untold problems."
He said if businesses such as gyms and restaurants have to seek out their own version of a vaccine certificate, privacy couldn't be guaranteed, with companies possibly turning to private apps to show proof of immunization.
'A slam dunk'
Thomas calls mandating employee vaccinations "a slam dunk" legally for long-term care homes and hospitals and "a pretty strong case" when it comes to post-secondary institutions and schools, saying the government can impose conditions on workplaces.
This week, Quebec confirmed
it will require proof of immunization if people want to get access to some non-essential services, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked Canada's top civil servant
to look into mandating vaccinations for federal employees and federally regulated companies. Plus, all Ontario's opposition parties now back requiring some workers to be vaccinated.