All 11,000 direct employees of the provincial government will be required to be fully vaccinated by November 30.
“As one of the larger employers in the province, I believe government must lead by example to protect our employees and the public we serve from the risk of COVID-19 and its variants and to support the provincial effort to increase vaccination rates,” said Colton LeBlanc, Minister of the Public Service Commission.
This move is the latest extension of provincial vaccine mandates after new mandates were introduced on October 4 to include some employees in the departments of Community Services, Seniors and Long-Term Care, Justice, and Education and Early Childhood Development.
Provincial government employees who are not fully vaccinated by November 30 will face employment consequences including unpaid administrative leave unless they have received an employer-approved exemption.
The new mandate will also ensure that no new provincial employees are hired unless they can prove their vaccination status.
Details on how the mandate will be implemented and enforced are still being worked out.
