Manitoba education minister an “anti-vaxxer,” Kinew charges Goertzen affirms right to refuse vaccination in personal Facebook post
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/09/2020 (1477 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew is calling the Conservative education minister an “anti-vaxxer” following controversial posts the minister made on his personal Facebook account.
“It’s bananas to me that Mr. Pallister has an anti-vaxxer in his cabinet,” Kinew said in an interview with CBC Friday, in a video clip provided to the Free Press by the NDP.
“And it’s not just any cabinet minister, this is a guy who is in charge of all the kids going back to school. He’s in charge of their safety and their health.”
The NDP leader’s comments came after Minister Kelvin Goertzen, who is responsible for the rollout of health initiatives in Manitoba’s schools, posted a CNN article about the COVID-19 vaccine to his Facebook wall Thursday night with the caption: “For those who refuse to get a vaccine, that is absolutely your right! And it should be protected. For everyone else…”
Several commenters asked Goertzen whether vaccines would be mandatory in Manitoba once one is approved, and whether those who choose not to be vaccinated will face limitations on travel, public school attendance and other public appearances.
Goertzen stated repeatedly in the comments that vaccines have never been mandatory in Canada or in Manitoba’s public schools, but left specific restrictions regarding travel or private businesses up to the federal government and those businesses, respectively.
“It completely blows my mind that in the middle of a pandemic that Manitobans are confronted with these very basic public-health questions,” Kinew told CBC.
“And, in order for us to have confidence in our public-health system being run by this PC government, we ought to have these questions answered, because again, vaccines are one of the most important public-health initiatives ever in the history of humankind.”
Kinew pointed to the minister’s responsibility to roll out vaccinations and public-safety measures in schools amid widespread concern from the province’s parents about the safety of sending kids back to school next week.
“While I personally support vaccination, I also believe that vaccination should be a personal choice.”– Kelvin Goertzen
Goertzen’s office disputed any suggestion that he opposes a COVID-19 vaccine, and pointed to his launches of annual flu-shot campaigns and support for high-dose flu vaccines during his time as health minister.
“My post was intended to be informative about the current state of a COVID-19 vaccination development as reported by the (Centers) for Disease Control and Prevention,” Goertzen said in a statement Friday.
“My family and I annually get the flu vaccine and as Health Minister I actively participated in the annual vaccination promotion campaign. While I personally support vaccination, I also believe that vaccination should be a personal choice. There has never been a mandatory vaccine in Canada federally or provincially.”
Manitoba public health asserts that immunizations, including those in public schools, are voluntary in the province. Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu has previously confirmed to media that the COVID-19 vaccine, when available, will not be mandatory.
— Staff
History
Updated on Friday, September 4, 2020 9:33 PM CDT: Fixes typo.
