Important for all Defence Team members: Complete your COVID-19 vaccination attestation

As mentioned in the October 8 DM-A/CDS message on COVID-19 vaccine requirement for the federal workforce, CDS Directive on CAF COVID-19 Vaccination, and CANFORGEN 149/21 (accessible only via the DWAN or CAF app), all Defence Team members are required to be fully vaccinated.

Attestation requirement

Both public service employees of the Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members are required to complete a COVID-19 vaccine attestation by October 29, 2021, regardless of their vaccination status. As of today, all Defence Team members now have access to do so.

How do I submit my vaccination attestation?

DND public service employees:

As of October 15, 2021, DND employees have access to confirm their vaccination status in the Government of Canada’s Vaccine Attestation Tracking System (GC-VATS) (Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome are the recommended browsers). All DND employees must complete their attestation by October 29, 2021.

Employees and managers will need to be on the DWAN and have a PKI card to access GC-VATS. For employees who do not have the necessary IT assets (e.g. active PKI Card) to access the GC-VATS system, an alternative paper-based attestation method will be available using a PDF form created by TBS. The form will follow the same content and format as the online version.

• Staff working remotely will receive the pdf by email from their manager. They can then print, complete, scan/take a photo, and send it back to their manager to complete their attestation.
• Staff on-site will receive the form from their manager as well. They will complete the form in-person and provide their signed attestation to their manager, to complete their attestation.
• Managers will receive further details on this process from HR-Civ or their Chain of Command. For further details on this process, please contact HR Connect RH (for DND employees only).

In both cases, staff can be reassured that their manager will ensure their attestation is received, reviewed and retained in a secure environment.

Prior to accessing GC-VATS, it is very important that DND employees update their information within the TBS Applications Portal (TAP) (accessible only via the DWAN) to prepare for vaccination attestation:

1. Ensure that communications are sent to valid email accounts by confirming your TAP profile email under My TAP Profile. DND employees who are not registered on TAP will be asked to provide an email address as part of the registration process.
2. Review your profile information and confirm accuracy under MyEmployees. If any of your information is inaccurate, please flag to your manager.
3. (Managers only) Update your team information in your MyEmployees list. In the MyEmployees list, managers can click on any team members and update their information as needed (including releasing staff).

Once you’ve confirmed your TAP profile information, login to GC-VATS and declare your vaccination status in 3 steps:

1. Review and acknowledge the privacy statement
2. Enter your vaccination status:
• Fully vaccinated
• Partially vaccinated
• Unvaccinated because you are requesting an accommodation
• Unvaccinated
3. Confirm and submit your attestation

*You have an obligation to provide a true attestation. Submitting a false statement would constitute a breach of the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector and may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. Attestations will be audited and managers can ask for proof of vaccination at any time.

CAF members:

As of October 8, 2021, CAF members can confirm their vaccination status through a one-time attestation process using MCS – Monitor MASS. All CAF members must complete their attestation by October 29, 2021 and be fully compliant with the policy by November 15, 2021.

CAF members who do not have access to MCS – Monitor MASS, will provide to their supervisor written and signed attestation in paper format, which the supervisor will then ensure is properly entered into the appropriate attestation tracking system.

For more information on how to complete your attestation in MCS – Monitor MASS, please consult the bilingual user guide (accessible only via the DWAN).

Related Stories