The head of the main pension fund in Canada, Mark Machin, has resigned after traveling to the United Arab Emirates to be vaccinated, despite the government's recommendations to avoid travel abroad, announced Friday (February 26th). employer.
"Recently, our President and CEO Mark Machin decided to go personally to the United Arab Emirates where he arranged to be vaccinated against Covid-19,"
said the Regime Investment Office. Canada pensions (CPPIB) in a press release.
"After discussions last night with the board, Mr. Machin submitted his resignation and it was accepted,"
adds RPC Investments.
Read also: Deaths of Covid-19: when the families of victims denounce a "sorting" in the hospital
This C $ 475.7 billion (€ 308 billion) fund manages the pension plan of approximately 20 million Canadians, making it the largest pension fund in the country.
The information was revealed by the
Wall Street Journal
, which reported that Mark Machin, 54 and CEO of the fund since 2016, received a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in February in the United Arab Emirates.
The vaccination campaign in Canada, which has been delayed due to delivery problems with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, is currently reserved for the elderly and caregivers.
Less than 3% of the estimated 38 million Canadians have to date received a dose of the vaccine.
Read also: The AstraZeneca vaccine would be very effective in the elderly
In addition, the federal government of Justin Trudeau has been increasing calls for months to avoid all non-essential travel abroad.
He recently tightened the quarantine conditions on return to Canada to deter these trips, especially to
"sun destinations"
, and limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Several politicians have been criticized in Canada in recent months for traveling abroad despite these instructions.
A former Ontario finance minister resigned at the end of the year after a controversial vacation in the Caribbean.
