Cabinet Spent $199M to Enforce COVID Vaccine Mandates for Federal Employees Who Were 95% Compliant

Minister of Defence Anita Anand responds to a question during a news conference in Ottawa, May 8, 2023. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

The federal government spent more than $199 million to enforce COVID-19 vaccine mandates for federal employees, despite 95 percent already being vaccinated, according to records obtained through an Inquiry of Ministry.

“Measures were $85.7 million and $112.9 million in 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively,” Treasury Board President Anita Anand wrote in reference to the “Policy on COVID-19 Vaccination” for the core public administration, which included the RCMP.

Ms. Anand noted that of the $81.9 million allocated in 2021-2022 through the Treasury Board, $19.2 million was used for “procuring, warehousing and distributing COVID-19 rapid tests across the core public administration,“ as well as funding for legal services. Additionally, $3.4 million was allocated for ”Vote 1 Operating Authorities“ and more than $350,000 was given to ”Statutory Authority for Employee Benefit Plans.”

The Treasury Board did not vote on any allocations for enforcing vaccine mandates in the federal government during the 2022-2023 fiscal year, according to the document. Information on “other associated costs incurred by departments, agencies, and Crown corporations that are not recognized through the following authorities are not available,” the Inquiry of Ministry said.

The figures were given in response to a request by Conservative MP Ted Falk last November about the total costs associated with implementing the vaccine requirement.

Back in October 2021, the Treasury Board announced all federal public servants and members of the RCMP would be required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination by Oct. 29, and that any who failed to do so would be placed on administrative leave without pay on or after Nov. 15, 2021.

Around that time, roughly 95 percent of the 268,000 federal employees had confirmed they were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Treasury Board. “Requests from the approximately one percent of employees who are seeking accommodation are being assessed on a case-by-case basis in departments,” the Treasury Board said at the time.

Conservative MPs questioned the costs of the federal vaccine mandates, with MP Kelly McCauley telling the House of Commons in 2021, “Treasury Board officials told us it was for rapid testing purchases and distribution.”

“The Treasury Board website shows there are about 3,400 unvaccinated employees. That works out to about $24,000 per employee for rapid testing. At $24,000 per employee, who is providing these rapid tests? Is it SNC-Lavalin?” Mr. McCauley asked, referencing the Liberal government’s involvement in the SNC-Lavalin scandal.

The federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate was lifted on June 20, 2022. The Treasury Board found that 2,560 employees were suspended without pay for declining to show proof of vaccination.

“Employees who are on administrative leave without pay as a result of the vaccination policy will be contacted by their managers to resume regular duties with pay, and the bargaining agents have been informed,” then-Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said when suspending the mandate.

“I want to reiterate that vaccines continue to provide strong protection against serious illness,” she added. “All Canadians should keep their vaccinations up to date to keep that protection as high as possible.”