Message from the A/CDS to the CAF on COVID-19 Vaccines
October 6, 2021 - Defence Stories
To CAF members,
To begin, I want to thank you all for your tremendous dedication. I’m very proud to share that since the beginning of the pandemic, the CAF has been leading the charge in our communities on vaccination rates. To date, more than 93% of eligible CAF members have received their first dose, and 91% are fully vaccinated.
These numbers are a tribute to the extensive efforts that the vast majority of you have made to protect the force over the last several months by getting vaccinated, and to our health services personnel for executing a rapid and efficient vaccination campaign not only in Canada, but across all our theatres of operations around the world.
Many of you have also likely heard, earlier today, that the Government of Canada is now requiring federal government employees to be fully vaccinated, and to be compliant with this new policy by November 15, 2021. This includes the CAF.
For those of you who have yet to receive your COVID-19 vaccine, and are able to, I ask you to please go out and get it. Get vaccinated for your family, for your peers, and for Canadians.
This is a team effort and we need all hands on deck to protect ourselves, to maintain our readiness and ability to serve Canadians at home, and to support our Allies and partners abroad.
We will soon issue a Directive on the CAF application of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy. It will provide additional details and guidance, and answer many of your questions. In the meantime, if you have not done so, please get vaccinated.
Thank you again for your outstanding support and please remember to continue to look out for one another.
CAF members who supervise public servants will need to be aware of the government-wide policy affecting DND public service employees and understand their role in supporting its implementation. More information can be found in the Deputy Minister’s message sent to DND public servants earlier today.
Let’s continue to lead the way and finish this fight together!
General Wayne Eyre
Acting Chief of the Defence Staff