Those who lose their job following a vax status to be expected not eligible for EI (employment insurance) according to Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough.

“It’s a condition of employment that hasn’t been met,” Qualtrough said in an interview with CBC’s Power & Politics. It is reasonable for being ineligible since the employer choosing to terminate someone.

“I can tell you that’s the advice I’m getting, and that’s the advice I’ll move forward with.”

Qualtrough said the rule will not be applied to those have a medical exemption or a “valid reason” for not being vaccinated. However, Qualtrough stated that the policy is not yet a firm public decision following the recent federal election and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has not unveiled a new regulations yet until October 26.

“We’ll have to wait and see what the prime minister does next Tuesday with his cabinet,” she said.

Paul Champ, an employment lawyer in Ottawa, disagrees with Qualtrough’s position on EI and vaccines.

“I think it’s very arguable about whether employees terminated for not getting the vaccine requirement is just cause for termination,” he said in an interview.

“I think it’s reasonable that some employers may and will terminate employees for not being vaccinated — I don’t take issue with that — but it’s different to say that it’s just cause, meaning you pay them nothing.”

Champ said he always advice clients in the same way.

“My first piece of advice to clients is, ‘Get vaccinated,'” he said.

“That interferes with bodily integrity and at least my opinion — and I think the consensus among most employment lawyers right now — is that it’s not just cause for an employee to refuse that, at least in most circumstances,” he said.

Besides, there’s is always a simpler way to be hired for employers to figure the issues, he “Employers could, when they’re making hiring decisions right now, make having a vaccine a requirement of employment,” he said.  “An employee’s accepting a job knowing that — that’s a job requirement.”