“We’ve never discussed firing anyone.”

That was the word Monday afternoon from John Streicker, the minister in charge of the Public Service Commission, and the Yukon government’s plan to require all public service employees to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 30.

Streicker was responding to questions for more details from the legislature during question period as well as from reporters afterward.

“What we have said, in working with those unions, is that we would sit down with them to work through the details of how this will unfold, and we have been at the table with them since that time and working closely,” Streicker told the legislature.

“I sat down with the president of the Yukon Employees’ Union (Steve Geick) this past Friday. It was, of course, a tough conversation because there is a lot of interest in trying to make sure that we get the requirement for vaccines to protect the public’s health done well and that we’re rolling it out by — we said by November, but as there are other announcements that have come from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, which may address the date — but what I have said is that we want to work with them on developing that,” Steve Geick said.

The policy has caused consternation amongst at least two large and powerful unions thus far.

Both the Yukon Employees’ Union (YEU) and the Yukon Teachers’ Association have expressed serious concerns about how the policy would be enforced and the ramifications for non-compliant public service workers.

Geick told the Star Monday morning the organization would not back off its position that no one should lose their jobs over the policy, as has happened in other jurisdictions.

“I wasn’t aware that was the case elsewhere,” Streicker told reporters after being asked directly about the situation. “I can tell you that hasn’t been discussed.”

He said the furthest the conversation has gone so far is whether non-compliant employees should be placed on unpaid leave.

Geick wants to see provisions for use of personal protective equipment, such as masks, remote work and regular testing instead of terminations.

He has set a deadline of this Friday for the government and the commission to respond.

Streicker said he is consulting Dr. Catherine Elliott, the acting chief medical officer of health, on Geick’s suggestions.

He promised more consultation will be coming, regardless of her answers.

Streicker said if Elliott was to say the union’s requests are reasonable and match public health requirements, he would take that back to the unions for further discussion.

He would do the same thing, he said, if Elliott says that approach doesn’t properly address public health initiatives.

It’s also possible the Nov. 30 implementation date could be moved if it’s deemed necessary and in the public interest.

NDP Leader Kate White said the policy is another example of the Liberal government’s failure to communicate more clearly.

“They’ve got to do a better job of talking to the public,” she said.

Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon again alleged the government is using the mandatory vaccinations policy to divert attention away from the raging controversy over the Hidden Valley Elementary School sexual abuse scandal.

“It’s a smokescreen,” he said, repeating allegations he made last week. “The timing of this policy is suspicious.

“Ten days ago, in an attempt to distract Yukoners from the growing scandal related to the sexual abuse at Hidden Valley School, the Liberals rushed out a poorly thought-out vaccine mandate announcement.

“They did this with absolutely no details and no information,” Dixon told the house during Monday’s question period.

“The result has been confusion and concern across the territory as Yukoners try to understand why this announcement was made with no idea at all about how it will work.

“In the words of the YEU in a letter to its members, this announcement has sent a chill through the Yukon. In their rush to make this announcement, the Liberals also forgot to consult with the YEU,” Dixon said. “The result has been that the union has filed a grievance.

“Can the minister responsible for the Public Service Commission confirm that the YEU has filed a policy grievance due to the arbitrary nature of the announcement and the Liberals’ failure to consider any of the serious issues with actually implementing this announcement?”

Premier Sandy Silver weighed in.

“What I can reconfirm here in the legislative assembly is that we don’t interfere with the recommendations from the public health office,” he said.

“This has been what we have done for the last almost two years now, when it comes to the recommendations.

“It should come as no surprise to the members opposite that, as soon as the recommendations are ready to come out, they come out,” the premier added.

“That’s from the independence of the chief medical officer of health. We know that the members opposite would rather pick and choose which ones are politically expedient for themselves as far as the chief medical officer of health’s recommendations — we’ve seen it over the last 18 months — but we will continue, on this side of the government, to make sure that we get that information as soon as possible and then work out the logistics.”

Silver said there is a reason for the time between the announcement “and the deadlines of those mandatory situations. It’s to have these conversations.

“There’s a full-court press as far as all of our departments working out the logistical challenges of the recommendations as the members opposite make it seem like these are politically motivated decisions,” Silver said.

“They are not, Hon. Speaker. They are from science; they are from the chief medical officer of health, and in Yukon, we’ve been very clear that this is where we’re going to get our direction from, whereas the opposition has decided that they will pick and choose which ones of those recommendations are good for them politically.”