Employees at some federally regulated workplaces, such as airlines, may soon be subject to mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, Justin Trudeau said Thursday. It’s the first time the prime minister has openly supported any form of compulsory vaccinations.

The PM’s comment follows the introduction of measures by US president Joe Biden last week requiring federal employees and contractors to show proof of vaccination or be subjected to new rules including mandatory masking and weekly testing for COVID-19.

Trudeau said he fully supports that plan and that the government is in discussions with the federal public service about whether there are some categories where vaccination should be made mandatory.

Quebec

Meanwhile, Quebec premier Francois Legault, announced Thursday that he will be introducing vaccine passports to receive non-essential services in his province.

Legault says the province is on the cusp of a fourth wave of COVID-19 and the health minister will announce details in the coming days about how the system will work and when it will begin.

He says “certain privileges” will be extended to people who are fully vaccinated. The government had said it would wait until September to start requiring people in Quebec to show proof of vaccination to access nonessential services in the province where coronavirus transmission is high.

Quebec health officials have reported an average of 160 new daily cases in the past seven days, compared to an average of 74 the previous week. About 87% of eligible people in Quebec have been vaccinated with one dose and 67% are fully vaccinated.

Ontario says it won’t introduce a passport system.