BC Conservative Leader’s Suggestion to Compensate Unvaccinated Workers Draws NDP Ire
Left image courtesy SD62, right image courtesy Facebook/JohnRustadBC
British Columbia New Democrat MLA Ravi Parmar took aim at BC Conservative leader John Rustad this week, accusing him of having an "obsession with conspiracy theories" and "fringe ideas."
Parmar's displayed outrage was prompted by Rustad telling KelownaNow that his party is going to "look into" compensating BC healthcare workers who were let go or fired for not receiving COVID-19 injections.
"I actually believe that our healthcare workers and other workers who were let go or fired because they refused to take it should actually be compensated for that," said Rustad.
"And that's something we're going to look into, in terms of it, because I don't believe that they were rightly dismissed."
In September 2021, BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that COVID-19 injections would be mandatory for anyone who worked in a healthcare facility across the province, including students, physicians, residents, contractors, volunteers, and all other healthcare professionals.
This announcement followed a previously announced vaccine mandate for workers in long-term care homes, as well as the BC Vaccine Card, which required British Columbians to show proof of vaccination before accessing a wide range of services and activities, such as going to the gym.
Rustad, despite previously supporting COVID-19 vaccination, has since begun viciously criticizing the aforementioned mandates, suggesting this week that compensation packages might be in order.
"Well, we'd have to look into what that compensation package would look like, but I think quite frankly we should be doing that," said Rustad.
In response, Parmar said that the BC Conservative leader "is not looking out for people."
His statement was published by the BC NDP Caucus.
"At a time when we need to be lowering costs for people and investing in healthcare, John Rustad is promising to spend tax dollars rewarding people who refused to do the simple thing necessary to keep people safe through the worst of the pandemic," said Parmar.
"John Rustad's obsession with conspiracy theories and fringe ideas is dangerous, and it shows he's not focused on the things people actually care about."
Parmar then went on to praise Premier David Eby for taking "real action" with respect to strengthening healthcare.
Aside from severely understaffed hospitals leading to closures, British Columbians wait the longest on average to see a doctor at walk-in clinics compared to elsewhere in Canada, according to data from Medimap.
As for access to primary care, the BC College of Family Physicians said that one million British Columbians are without access to a family doctor and remain unable to get one. Nearly half of those who do have access to a family doctor are worried they will lose this access due to practice closures or retirement, according to a poll released by the college.