Thread by @DonaldWelsh16

Good point brought up by Kelly Brown on the vague messaging from @BogochIsaac, @PattyHajdu and @JustinTrudeau. Lets dig into the details of vaccine passports. 1/

https://twitter.com/rubiconcapital_/status/1388649476206866433

Lets start with medical science. Does this make sense? The answer is No. C19 is a seasonal respiratory virus whose transmission dynamics is unknown and impossible to control. Its endemic in most of the world so there is nothing to control per se. 2/

The preceding reasoning also applies to variants. To date, they have been a non-issue and I don't see gov't committing further resources to this futile endeavor. 3/

Moving forward, its false to equate C19 with Yellow Fever. The latter is a mosquito borne virus, thus it doesn't spread to other continents through airborne transmission. One must visit a country where these mosquitoes reside. 4/

Next, lets consider the economy. The US is Canada's largest trading partner and influential US states have clearly said No. Passports would consequently place Canadian business at a competitive disadvantage and companies would likely shift operations. 5/

This would stall job/wealth creation essential to repairing Canada's damaged economy. We need to create 500K jobs in the short-mid term to counter loses. Canada can't live on credit and print money forever. The economy must produce wealth to service debt. 6/

Note, vaccine passports would inflict particular damage on industries like tourism. Canada would be at a huge disadvantage to jurisdictions like Mexico which would clean up and eat our lunch. Vacation dollars would simply divert to other countries. 7/

Are vaccines passports logistically feasible? The answer is No. We have no logistical structure, no budgeted funds and no serious policies/plans. Privacy laws would have to be broken and provinces would need to cooperate as they control medical care. /8

Finally, lets not forget the mountain of other legal issues, many of which would be challenged as charter violations. Vaccine passports could be viewed as a form of coercion counter the Nuremberg code and principles of informed consent. 9/

These are a few thoughts that immediately come to mind. It seems to me that passports are more pressure tactic to enhance vaccine uptake than serious public policy. I could be wrong but scientific, economic, legal and logistical issues loom large and daunting. End.