(LifeSiteNews) — Canada’s employment minister said Friday that those who lose their jobs over their refusal to comply with mandatory COVID-19 injections will be “ineligible” to get unemployment benefits. Some experts are questioning her position.
In an interview conducted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Employment Minister of Canada Carla Qualtrough said, “It’s a condition of employment that hasn’t been met.”
“And the employer choosing to terminate someone for that reason would make that person ineligible for EI,” she added.
If an employee in Canada loses his or her job without “just cause,” they are eligible to receive the EI benefit, which covers 55 percent of their weekly earnings up to a maximum of $595.
When asked about the certainty of this being the course of action that will be taken by the Canadian government, Qualtrough said, “I can tell you that’s the advice I’m getting, and that’s the advice I’ll move forward with.”
In response to the shocking statement by the minister, Paul Champ, an employment lawyer in Ottawa, told the CBC that Qualtrough is likely mistaken that the government will be able to deny people EI benefits for their refusal to undergo an experimental medical treatment.
“I think it’s very arguable about whether employees terminated for not getting the vaccine requirement is just cause for termination,” said Champ in an interview the same day as Qualtrough’s announcement. “I think it’s reasonable that some employers may and will terminate employees for not being vaccinated — I don’t take issue with that — but it’s different to say that it’s just cause, meaning you pay them nothing.”
In Canada, vaccine mandates have become almost ubiquitous in certain sectors, including healthcare, education, and law enforcement, leaving many worried about their financial future. If these employees cannot file for EI benefits, on top of losing their jobs, they will also lose any ability to receive money while looking for another job.
In September, 172 employees at two hospitals in Windsor, Ontario, were suspended without pay for refusing the jab. The employees, which include nurses and doctors, were told that if they did not comply with the policy and achieve full vaccination status by October 7, they were to be terminated “with cause” and would therefore not qualify for EI.
In August, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) announced a vaccine mandate for all employees, leading citizens and police officers to rally together in front of TPS headquarters in early September to field their opposition to the dictatorial measure.
“Thomas Jefferson said that when ‘people are afraid of the government, you have a tyranny, and that when government is afraid of the people, you have a democracy,’ and what we’ve got right now is a dictatorship,” said constitutional rights lawyer Rocco Galati. “There is no magic wand, the only thing that’s going to get us out of this tyranny is if every individual ensures their liberties.”
According to Galati, who is leading a lawsuit against the Canadian goverment and various public health officials over the implementation of “illegal” COVID-19 measures, vaccine mandates violate each Canadian’s protected rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Specifically, Galati mentioned that under Section 2, Section 7, and Section 15, each Canadian can lawfully assert their right to life, liberty and security of the person, freedom of religion, and protection regarding equality before the law and equal protection of the law without discrimination. This includes being protected against discrimination based on vaccination status, as vaccines are voluntary in Canada, Galati argued.
“I have a constitutional right to not have a medical treatment forced on me,” said Galati in an August press conference. “Who decides [what medical treatments you have to take] you or the state? It has got to be you or else we’re back to Nazi Germany.”
“This is not a medical or health agenda, this is a political one. They want everybody vaccinated for whatever reason. Up until now, there has never been a problem with people exercising their choice.”