Toronto, August 23, 2021 - Small business owners have several concerns related to the use of mandatory vaccination policies or passports, finds new data shared by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). CFIB urges the federal and provincial governments as well as small business owners to use caution as they consider such approaches.
Small business views on vaccine passports
Support or opposition for vaccine passports varies widely depending on what such a policy would mean. While a majority of small business owners support the use of vaccine passports for international travel and large events, there are mixed views on using them with employees and more who oppose their use among customers than those who support the idea. A considerable number remain undecided.
Would you support the use of a vaccine passport by government in the following situations?
| Yes | No | Undecided | |
| International travel | 74% | 21% | 5% |
| Large events (concerts, festivals, large sporting events) | 65% | 28% | 7% |
| Employees in our workplace | 48% | 40% | 12% |
| Customers visiting our business | 37% | 47% | 16% |
| Employees and/or customers in our business as an alternative to lockdowns in the event of a fourth wave of COVID-19 | 55% | 31% | 14% |
Practical concerns with vaccine passports
A majority have practical concerns about the risks and execution of mandatory vaccination policies or passports:
More than three quarters (77 per cent) of business owners indicated that they support and encourage their employees in getting vaccinated in an earlier CFIB survey from April. However, vaccine passports raise important questions for small business owners and their employees:
Some businesses have chosen to mandate vaccines for employees or customers without guidance from provincial governments or to advertise that all their employees are vaccinated. However, those businesses should be aware they could risk costly lawsuits and human rights complaints.
CFIB encourages business owners to create an open and non-judgemental environment to discuss vaccines with employees. To help businesses navigate these conversations, CFIB has released new guidance, including a downloadable vaccine policy template exclusively for CFIB members.
Small business owners urge provincial governments to adopt a comprehensive “Stay Open” plan that includes rapid testing, clear evidence-based communications around risks and any decisions leading to restrictions, and a focus on hospitalization rates rather than case counts. Direct provincial funding should be in place before any additional COVID restrictions are deployed.
CFIB is here to ensure business owners have the information they need to manage the health and safety of their employees and customers, and that their concerns are represented as governments consider new public health policies.
- Dan Kelly, President, Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)
For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:
Milena Stanoeva, CFIB
647-464-2814
public.affairs@cfib.ca
Source for CFIB data
Preliminary results for Your Voice – August 2021 survey. The online survey started August 5, 2021, n = 2,878. For comparison purposes, a probability sample with the same number of respondents would have a margin of error of +/-1.8%, 19 times out of 20.
Final results for Your Voice – April 2021 survey. The online survey was conducted between April 8 and April 30, 2021, n = 5,284. For comparison purposes, a probability sample with the same number of respondents would have a margin of error of +/-1.3%, 19 times out of 20.
About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 95,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.