September 28, 2021
Mandatory Vaccination – Privacy of Medical Information
The Mandatory Vaccination Policy released by NAV Canada on September 22, 2021, has caused confusion and concern for some of our members. One issue of significant trepidation expressed by a wide-ranging population of vaccinated and un-vaccinated members is the disclosure of personal medical information and members’ right to privacy. This uneasiness has been exacerbated by the swiftly approaching date of October 8, 2021, to disclose your vaccination status, as well as the type and amount of information being asked to disclose.
Although it is stated in the Policy that this information will be handled under the guidelines of PIPEDA regarding its collection and retention, many outstanding questions leave our members hesitant in doing so. With that in mind, until further advised CATCA recommends that members refrain from submitting the requested information until further discussions with NAV Canada address this and other concerns. We will communicate the outcome of those discussions to the membership.
In addition to the above, many aspects of the Mandatory Vaccination Policy are contentious to some of our members. We have been receiving many questions daily – several of them complex. Your entire CATCA Executive Board is abundantly aware of the time constraints for getting these answers and are putting every effort into answering all questions. In particular, many of the answers members are seeking require a response from NAV Canada since it is their policy and only they have the required information. We are sending them new questions daily and attempting to compile their answers to share with the membership shortly. At the same time, we also understand other issues require a legal response. In that regard, much of this Policy is new territory and requires significant and fulsome research on all aspects before we can provide further information. Having said all that, we ask that members be patient as we endeavour to do so. In any case, rest assured that we will assist any member requiring individual representation under the collective agreement as always.
Please direct all questions to your Regional Vice President who will forward them to the National Executive to obtain the answers, and please be respectful while doing so. There is no tolerance for threatening or disparaging emails.
In Solidarity,
CATCA Executive Board
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