ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic upended not only health security but also assumptions about rights protection. In Canada, all orders of government have engaged in previously unthinkable policies, including closing provincial borders, restricting international travel, imposing curfews, and shuttering businesses and schools. Once the COVID vaccines arrived in late 2020, the focus understandably shifted to mass vaccination. After initial reluctance, Canadian governments overwhelmingly turned to proof of vaccination regimes as the “passport” back to normal activity. That decision collided with pre-existing anti-vax sentiment, disinformation systems, and extreme political polarization—creating significant resistance from some individuals and groups. Requiring vaccination as a precondition to social activity deeply implicates personal freedom and raises serious constitutional questions. One of the rights frequently raised in objection to vaccine mandates is freedom of religion. This chapter investigates the parameters for refusing a vaccine on the basis of religious conviction.
