WestJet gives two thumbs up to federally mandated vaccination requirement for employees

CALGARY — WestJet is on board with an announcement  Friday regarding mandatory vaccinations for all federally regulated airline employees.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced that the federal government intends to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory across the federal public service, and will require that all commercial air, interprovincial train and cruise ship passengers be fully vaccinated no later than October.

“We have seen how devastating COVID-19 has been to our transportation and tourism sectors," Alghabra said. "We must protect the hard-won gains made by Canadians. Canadians deserve to feel confident when traveling that the environment around them is safe.”

“We need to regain public confidence in travel.”

The policy announcement was welcomed by WestJet.

“We continue to be a strong partner in Canada’s vaccination rollout and are working diligently to implement the government’s policy on mandatory vaccines for airline employees,” said Mark Porter, WestJet Executive Vice-President, People and Culture. “Vaccinations are the most effective way to ensure the safety of our guests and employees, while curbing the spread of COVID-19.”

“We understand our people will have questions and will be discussing with our employee and labour groups in real-time,” continued Mr. Porter. “We are seeking additional detail from the federal government on the requirement and are committed to working together to ensure the successful implementation of the policy by late October.”

WestJet currently employees about 6,000 people, with another 4,000 furloughed or inactive due to the pandemic. Swoop has 340 active employees and an additional 170 that are furloughed or inactive.

With files from CTV Ottawa