Tory MLA pulled from role for not supporting COVID-19 vaccine mandates

Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson has booted a Tory MLA from his job as legislative assistant for the health minister over his continued disagreement about COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Josh Guenter, the MLA for Borderland in southern Manitoba, went to a trucker protest at the Manitoba-U.S. border on Highway 75 over the weekend and took to social media to say he supports the group fighting mandatory vaccines for truckers.

"Spent some time today with family, friends and scores of peaceful, freedom-loving Canadians in the freedom convoy," he wrote in a Facebook post.

He wrote that the experience reminded him of then Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's remarks prior to the Royal Assent Ceremony for the Bill of Rights in 1960.

"'Freedom is not static. It cannot be fixed for all time. It either grows or it dies. It grows when the people of a country have it in their hearts and demand that it shall be preserved,'" he quoted. "Thank you to Canadian and Manitoban truckers for inspiring a movement focused on returning to civil liberties."

Earlier Monday, the Manitoba NDP called on the premier to dismiss Guenter from his post.

"I think it's in the best interest of all Manitobans, and certainly the PC caucus, to remove him immediately from his portfolio and from the PC caucus," said Nahanni Fontaine, MLA for St. Johns.

Stefanson said in an email to CBC News on Monday she expects all representatives of her government to support efforts to get all Manitobans vaccinated.

People who are unvaccinated are seven times more likely to end up in ICU than people who are fully vaccinated, and five times more likely to die from COVID-19.

Earlier on Monday, the province announced 20 more people in hospital with COVID-19, for a total of 735 — a record high. Of those, 56 people are in intensive care.

Over the weekend, 19 more people died. To date, 1,562 people have died of COVID-19 in the province since the start of the pandemic.

The premier wrote that she believes in the right to peacefully protest, but does not condone the use of antisemitic, racist imagery and desecration of war memorials or statues, the likes of which was seen in Ottawa.

Participants in previous protests in support of the semi-trailer convoy have shown support for Donald Trump and posted signs condemning fascism in the country.

Others in Manitoba have used antisemitic rhetoric to compare vaccine mandates to the Holocaust

Previously, Guenter has voiced his disagreement with vaccine mandates.

In August, he wrote a letter to the premier saying vaccine mandates will only create more vaccine hesitancy among his constituents.  

CBC News has sought comment from Guenter about his removal from Manitoba Health, but hasn't yet received a response.

Guenter is not the only member of government to be disciplined for not supporting COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

At the end of 2021, MLA Ron Schuler was removed from cabinet following months of speculation over whether he was vaccinated against COVID-19.

Stefanson said her government will update Manitobans this week about public health orders and supports for the business and arts sectors.