The Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba will not admit unvaccinated Canadians over the age of 12.
“As of September 7, in compliance with the current public health order in Manitoba, all Museum visitors 12 and older must provide official proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 along with photo ID,” the museum’s website states.
To be considered fully vaccinated in accordance with Manitoba public health rules, Canadians must be able to prove that they have received two shots of an approved COVID-19 vaccine. These include Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD.
After public outcry, museum CEO Isha Khan issued a separate statement.
“Currently, the law specifically allows us to admit only those visitors who have been double vaccinated against COVID-19 or children under 12 accompanied by fully vaccinated adults from their household,” Khan wrote.
Khan became more defensive when addressing concerns that the human rights museum’s policy itself amounts to a form of human rights discrimination.
“Discrimination is defined in law as treating a person differently on the basis of some characteristic that goes to the root of who they are as a human being (where there is no reasonable cause to do so). These characteristics include age, ancestry, ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, religious belief, gender identity and disability. We have to be careful about equating a choice not to get vaccinated with these protected characteristics when looking at what can be considered discriminatory.”
According to Khan, “reasonable restrictions on individual behavior for the broader health” of the general public are legitimate.
Currently, unvaccinated Manitobans are unable to access basic services such as restaurants, sports and entertainment venues, or any other business that requires proof of vaccination.
Additionally, according to federal laws, unvaccinated Canadians over the age of 12 can no longer board trains or planes across Canada.
“I’d like to emphasize that these regulations are temporary and intended to suppress the virus and help end the pandemic,” added Khan. “I encourage everyone to get vaccinated – it’s the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and those around us.”
