Hundreds of unvaccinated troops to be let go despite military easing mandate

Canada’s defence chief says there is no longer a broad COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the Canadian Armed Forces, but it will still kick out unvaccinated troops who were already told to leave the military.

Defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre unveiled the new vaccine policy saying the previous requirement covering all Canadian Armed Forces personnel will be scaled back.

Instead of requiring all service members to have their vaccines, mandates will now be based on the roles and responsibilities of each person.

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But Eyre says service members who were already told to leave the military because of their refusal to get vaccinated will still be let go.

Eyre says in an interview with The Canadian Press that personnel are expected to follow orders and their refusal to get vaccinated raises questions about their suitability to serve.

The Department of National Defence says around 300 Armed Forces members were ordered to hang up their uniforms after refusing to get vaccinated, while another 100 have quit voluntarily.