“Individual companies in the private sector should not be responsible for determining whether a person’s religious beliefs are ‘sufficient’ to merit an exemption from a federally mandated obligation related to public health, nor do companies have the means to evaluate a person’s religious convictions,” says the letter. In a letter to members of Parliament, the National Airlines Council of Canada said the government - not private companies - should be in charge of approving or rejecting faith-based travel requests. WestJet did not say how many religious exemptions it has granted or rejected. Among the groups it lists in favour of vaccination are Islam, Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Greek Orthodox, Mennonites, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Christian Science.Ĭanadians who apply for a religious exemption to fly on WestJet must fill out a form on its website and submit it at least three weeks before departure.Īpplicants need to indicate their religion or denomination, describe how they practise their religion or denomination, and explain the connection between their religious beliefs and their inability to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.Īdditionally, they are asked to provide documentation from religious leaders or other practitioners of their faith that explain the connection between their religious beliefs and their objection to the vaccine.Īpplicants cannot check in for a flight until their submission has been approved by WestJet’s guest relations team and must provide a negative COVID-19 test prior to flying. The federal government’s website acknowledges no major religion is opposed to getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The Transport Canada order states someone requesting a religious exemption “must clearly demonstrate your sincere religious belief, how it prevents you from being vaccinated, and be signed by a commissioner of oaths.” So that was very upsetting.”įrédérica Dupuis, senior adviser for media relations at Transport Canada, said air carriers “are responsible for approving medical contraindication and sincere religious belief exemption requests under the interim order.” “If they aren’t vaccinated - and there were six or seven of them on that flight - they jeopardized the entire flight. ”He had all his disciples with him it was at least six of them,” Gutkin said Monday. 11 flight to Winnipeg as Tissen, whom he recognized at the Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, airport. When reached by phone, Tissen declined to say what rationale he used to justify his request for the exemption.Ī spokesperson from WestJet said the exemption isn’t company policy, rather it’s a federal mandate. Tissen, who leads the Church of God (Restoration) near Steinbach, told a Steinbach Carillon reporter the airline allows unvaccinated people to fly if they get a religious exemption. (Andrew Vaughan-Pool / The Canadian Press files)īut last month, anti-mask and anti-lockdown demonstrator Tobias Tissen flew to Mexico on a WestJet flight. Canadians can obtain a religious exemption to fly without being vaccinated against COVID-19. 30, the federal government has required all air and rail passengers older than 11 to show proof they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. “I think it’s disgusting that they’re leaving it up to the airlines.” “That really annoyed me I don’t know how they let him on the plane,” said local retiree Donald Gutkin. This article was published (524 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.Ī Winnipeg traveller is livid after learning he’d shared a flight with a religious leader who claimed an exemption to COVID-19 vaccination, as Ottawa tasks airlines with deciding who can fly without a shot.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |