Canadian Government Executive - Volume 27 - Issue 03

12 / Canadian Government Executive // May/June 2021 COVID-19 Option 3: Provincial policy on immunity certificates with private-public partner- ship and inter-provincial agreements The third option calls for a provincial poli- cy on the definition and implementation of immunity certificates with private-public partnerships for its implementation and establishment of inter-provincial agree- ments for meeting nationwide objectives. The federal government may choose to play the role of an observer or leave the matter to the courts in this option. This option is riskiest in terms of the fact that it enhances further divides to the already fragmented immunization program and registries. It is also prone to a high degree of inter-pro- vincial conflicts because each province has a level of autonomy in defining the stan- dards, guidance and policy on immunity certificates. The approach is much quicker in terms of its implementation compared to the second option as there are much lesser areas for conflict and agreement. Table 9 describes the pros and cons of this approach. Conclusion After a rigorous analysis of the issue of im- munity certificates, this article concludes the necessity of immunity certificates in Canada as a key enabler for the safe re-opening of the society and economy in a post-COVID world. The best approach to solve the prob- lem of immunity certificates is through a co- ordinated federal, provincial and territorial policy on immunity certificates with private- public partnerships at both levels of govern- ment. This will enable longer-term benefits, nationwide interoperability and enhance in- ternational cooperation on the issue of im- munity certificates. Vijay Raj is an Intergovernmental Rela- tions, Master of Public Administration (Management) student at Dalhousie University. impacts on vulnerable populations. A key challenge with this approach is to align the federal government, provinces and territo- ries on this approach. One or more juris- dictions, provinces or territories, adopting government intervention can have a dom- ino effect. Option 2: Co-ordinated Federal, Provincial & Territorial policy on immunity certificates with private-public partnership This option calls for a coordinated federal, provincial and territorial policy response on immunity certificates. The federal, provin- cial and territorial governments can adopt a similar model to that of the immunization program in Canada. After careful consider- ation, this article identifies three key pillars for successful intergovernmental collabora- tion and are listed in Table 7. Table 8 describes the pros and cons of this approach. This article also sees this option as the rec- ommended option, due to its longer-term benefits, nationwide interoperability and the need for international cooperation on the issue of immunity certificates.