The Justice Centre is pleased that New Brunswick Bill 11 failed to pass third reading and therefore will not become law.

The status quo in New Brunswick is that parents who decide not to vaccinate their children with some or all of the required vaccines are still able to access education for their children by submitting a non-medical exemption to vaccination. Such a state of affairs upholds the constitutional rights of parents and children as protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Bill 11 would have changed that by removing non-medical exemptions and denying access to education for families who choose not to receive all of the required vaccines.

There are serious constitutional issues arising from mandatory vaccination. It represents an attack on personal choice and autonomy and infringes several fundamental rights and freedoms protected by the Charter, including liberty and security of the person as protected by section 7, and freedom of conscience and religion as protected by section 2(a). Concerns have been raised by the public, advocacy groups and experts regarding how unnecessary Bill 11 was and how it would have prevented access to education.