Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says his caucus will respect and abide by a requirement that members of Parliament be vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a medical exemption to take their seat in the House of Commons.
However, he says at the earliest opportunity a question of privilege will be raised in the House to challenge the ``improper conduct and precedent'' set by the board of internal economy, which established the vaccine mandate.
O'Toole made the remarks today after a caucus meeting to discuss the Tories' position on mandatory vaccination and what it means for unvaccinated members.
The board of internal economy, an all-party committee that governs how the Commons operates, decided last week to make vaccines mandatory for everyone entering the House precinct who doesn't have an exemption.
The decision put O'Toole in a challenging spot as he had refused to disclose how many of his 118 members were fully vaccinated while he also opposed any return to a hybrid Parliament.
O'Toole says only the House of Commons itself, not the board, can determine its composition or conduct.