The Higgs government’s mandatory vaccination bill has been defeated in the Leglislature by a vote of 22-20.
Several Progressive Conservative MLAs did not support the bill in a vote on Thursday afternoon while some members of the other parties did. Four members, including all three from the Green party, abstained from voting.
The legislation would have eliminated non-medical exemptions for children in public schools and daycares.
An amendment to the bill by Liberal MLA Chuck Chiasson was previously approved to remove the notwithstanding clause.
The clause would have protected the proposed bill against court challenges under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Education minister Dominic Cardy thinks most New Brunswickers will be surprised that their elected representatives did not support Bill 11 especially in the middle of a pandemic.
Cardy believes the majority of MLA’s succumbed to pressure from the anti-vaccination movement.
“People couldn’t stand up against the bullying, the harassment and the threats… that’s the part that makes it disappointing,” Cardy says.
Cardy adds he’s also disappointed in the Green Party who abstained.
While the party supports effective vaccination programs, leader David Coon says his caucus believes the Chief Medical Officer of Health should be the one to suspend the parental exemption and not this politically motivated bill.
