Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will be introducing mandatory vaccination requirements for all travellers next month.

By the end of November, anyone over the age of 12 will be required to be fully vaccinated to travel by plane or by train, and COVID-19 rapid testing before boarding will no longer be an option.

“You deserve the freedom to be safe from COVID-19 and to get back to the things you love,” said Trudeau. “If you haven’t gotten your shots yet but want to travel this winter, there will only be a few extremely narrow exemptions like a valid medical condition.”

“For the vast, vast majority of people, the rules are very simple. To travel, you’ve got to be vaccinated,” he explains.

Trudeau was joined by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, which included her announcing that all federal workers, RCMP and Canadian Armed Forces members will also be required to be fully vaccinated by Oct.29.

If a worker does not wish to be vaccinated or does not disclose their vaccination status by then, they will be placed on administrative leave with no pay.

Trudeau made the two mandates part of his re-election campaign last month.

“These measures are some of the strongest in the world,” adds Trudeau. “Because when it comes to keeping you and your family safe when it comes to avoiding lock-downs for everyone, this is no time for half-measures.”

As it stands, about 89 per cent of Canadians have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with roughly 82 per cent being fully vaccinated.

Trudeau would later apologize for travelling on the first annual Truth and Reconciliation Day on Sept.30, opposed to attending one of the country’s many gatherings.