Instituting vaccine passports can strengthen democracy

Public discourse and social fabric are under extraordinary strain from disinformation campaigns and anti-government think tanks

Vaccine passports are not only vital to the safety of our community, they are crucial to the stability of our democracy. Canadian political leaders should embrace them.

There are strong arguments for now requiring proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to travel, attend post-secondary school, and access non-essential services, at minimum. Scientists have outlined the advantages for reducing the spread of the virus and lessening the likelihood of further lockdowns. Business groups have connected vaccine passports to a robust economic recovery.

There are some legitimate concerns: ensuring equitable access to vaccines, protection of privacy rights, and guarding against potentially discriminatory practices under a vaccine requirement. There is also a significant population — children under 12 years of age — for whom a vaccine is not yet available.

Any COVID-19 vaccine passport must therefore be thoughtfully implemented and justly administered (including exemptions for rare medical situations). Such models already exist. An international Certificate of Vaccination against yellow fever is required to enter some countries. In several provinces — including Ontario — students must demonstrate proof of immunization against a number of diseases.

Still missing from this discussion is recognition of the extraordinary strain our public discourse and social fabric are under from alt-right media websites, disinformation campaigns and anti-government think tanks. Even as Canada emerges as a global leader in vaccine uptake and delivery, these forces threaten to undermine the public effort to overcome a deadly pandemic while deepening mistrust in science and democratic institutions.

Evidence of the alarming spread of pandemic misinformation on social media and the role of bad actors is well documented, and Canada is not immune. Studies conducted over the last year reveal that nearly all Canadians have seen misinformation about COVID-19 online and almost half have believed at least one unfounded theory about the virus.

We cannot wish this problem away, and with new variants of the virus encroaching, we cannot afford to wait it out.

Canadian public opinion researchers suggest — and France’s new policy confirms — that vaccine passports can be effective in allowing Canada to reach the rate of immunization public health experts say is necessary for herd immunity. The Quebec government is preparing for its use.

Vaccine passports can strengthen our democracy too.

What some have termed the “stick” in addressing vaccine hesitancy should instead be viewed as a bridge to a safer, more just post-pandemic world, one that values reason, fairness, and responsibility.

Taking the most basic of health precautions — subject to a legitimate exception — to protect your fellow citizens is an entirely reasonable expectation of civic responsibility.

Permitting a noisy but small cohort of the misguided and misinformed to abdicate this responsibility — at the risk to the wider community — is not empathy but apathy, and badly underestimates a more sophisticated, darker reality.