The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms has released what it’s calling, the “2021 Campus Vaccine Index,” which it says is  to help educate students, parents and the public about the campus Covid-19 vaccination policies of 61 public universities in Canada.

The Centre says the favoured approach among universities is to let students, staff, faculty and campus visitors make their own health decisions without, what it calls, “threats” to their liberties. As of August 17, 65% of Canadian universities do not have any mandatory vaccination policies in place.

However, at least one university in each of the provinces of Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Nova Scotia does have a mandatory vaccination policy.

The Centre described universities in Ontario and Saskatchewan as the worst offenders, saying 85 per cent of Ontario universities have instituted a mandatory vaccine policy, although at some schools, students can opt for twice-weekly testing regimes. Both of Saskatchewan’s universities have mandatory vaccine policies in place.

The Justice Centre’s position is that mandating vaccination for Canadians under most circumstances violates their right to bodily autonomy, and other Charter protected rights to freedom of conscience and religion, mobility rights, and the right to liberty, and security of the person. The Justice Centre says it is considering the commencement of a Charter application against a college in Ontario which, if successful, it believes may result in a change in policy on universities as well.