Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called for an end to the COVID vaccine mandates that are still in place for healthcare workers. 

“The fastest way to get more of the doctors and nurses we need? End all the discriminatory vaccine mandates blocking them from doing their jobs, so they can work again,” he tweeted on Wednesday.

Unvaccinated healthcare workers are still not allowed back to work in most hospitals in Canada.

Poilievre made his comment over the case of 35 year-old Sandra Hartman, an Ontario nurse who’s eight months pregnant and unvaccinated. The London Free Press reported that Hartman is still unable to work in Ontario due to the vaccine mandates that are still in place for nurses, including those who are pregnant.

Early feedback on social media to Poilievre was a mixed bag, mostly between those who said he took too long to make the statement, and those who approved.

Hospitals are short-staffed

Many hospitals throughout Canada are suffering from massive staffing shortages. United Nurses of Alberta’s president, Heather Smith, said overtime pay has hit an all time high.

“It’s an indication of just how desperate times are in terms of staffing deficits,” she said.

Global News reported that 100 Nurses in Alberta earned $200,000 in 2022, mostly due to excessive overtime pay. No previous year came close to that number of nurses earning that much.

BC is likewise facing a staffing crisis, as is Ontario, short 24,000 nurses.

Near $7 million in damages

Since 2021, the feds have compensated vaccine-injured Canadians to the tune of $6.7 million, presumably all from the novel COVID shots.

In February, the government admitted a few Canadians have likely died from the coerced COVID vaccine.