Arviat South MLA Joe Savikataaq is urging the Department of Human Resources to force frontline education workers to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

SA国际影视传媒漌e need to protect our children that go to school. There are more students in school than the number of patients that go to the health centres on a daily basis, and we need to protect them and vaccines are the way to do it,SA国际影视传媒� Savikataaq said in the Legislative Assembly on March 10.

Human Resources Minister Adam Lightstone acknowledged that SA国际影视传媒渋t is a very concerning topic that many Nunavummiut wish to hear a response toSA国际影视传媒� and he said itSA国际影视传媒檚 an issue that is under advisement, but he stopped short of committing to make vaccinations mandatory for educators who work directly with students.

Savikataaq replied, SA国际影视传媒淚 thank the minister for saying theySA国际影视传媒檙e thinking about it, theySA国际影视传媒檙e talking about it, but theySA国际影视传媒檙e not really doing anything about it.SA国际影视传媒�

He said parents are wary about sending their children to school because of Covid-19.

Indeed, Education Minister Pamela Gross revealed the previous day that school attendance had plummeted to just 23 per cent since the emergence of the Omicron variant, partly due to widespread self-isolation.

Savikataaq noted that frontline health workers are required to be vaccinated. He asked again why the same policy doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 apply to frontline educators.

Lightstone responded that the Department of Health imposed that vaccination mandate SA国际影视传媒渟ome time agoSA国际影视传媒� and the department had the legal authority to do so.

SA国际影视传媒淚t was a decision that was much easier to be made for the Department of Health,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淚t is one decision that must be taken balancing a number of factors, one being the health and safety of our

workforce, two being the health and safety of those that we are providing services to and three being the rights of our employees,SA国际影视传媒� the minister said. SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 not stating whether or not we will implement the vaccine mandate, but I will say that we are having those discussions.SA国际影视传媒�