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Jamadi ul II 2,1442 Jan 15, 2021
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1M vaccine doses to be delivered every week PM Trudeau wants to serve for ‘number of in next phase of COVID-19 immunizations: Fortin more years,’ rules out vaccine passports
OTTAWA -- When Canada enters Phase 2 of the national mass COVID-19 immunization effort in April, federal officials are planning to receive “more than” one million doses of approved vaccines every week, on average. Maj-Gen. Dany Fortin, who is leading Canada’s logistical rollout and distribution of vaccines from the Public Health Agency of Canada, called the second part of the national vaccination campaign the “ramp-up” phase. This is when vaccinations of the general public are slated to begin, and right now it’s anticipated that 20 million doses will be delivered to Canada between April and June. “The logistics planning team at the agency is working with federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners to align forecasted vaccine availability with the immunization capacity in the provinces and territories,” Fortin said, adding that this includes making sure the cold-chain storage and other supplies like needles and bandages are available. Fortin said he is “optimistic” that provinces and territories will be ready to vaccinate at scale when these larger batches of doses begin arriving, citing the thousands of healthcare professionals who have stepped up and are volunteering to help administer doses when the time comes. Newsletter sign-up: Get The COVID-19 Brief sent to your inbox The Phase 1 rollout is continuing through February and March, pushing to properly allocate and prioritize key groups like residents and staff in long-term care homes as well as front-line health-care workers with the initial six million doses of the approved Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. In this first stage of the vaccine campaign,
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Canada has seen both doses sitting in freezers as well as provinces saying they are running short, while those on the front line have sought to sort out who should and shouldn’t be receiving shots at this time. Noting the “disappointment” from some vaccination clinics that have already started scaling up but don’t have the supply of vaccines to sustain a higher rate of immunizations, Fortin said that “little wrinkles” like that will be ironed out before mass vaccinations begin.“We have been sharing data with provinces and territories, who of course, understandably want more vaccines as they ramp up their vaccination programs.The challenge is: we have limited quantities. We’ll have a significant big jump in the second quarter and we’ll be able to distribute much larger quantities and vaccinate at scale.”Fortin said additional planning documents about Phase 2 will be shared with the provinces and territories soon. “We continue to work with Public Services and Procurement Canada colleagues and with manufacturers to maximize the vaccine availability so that as many Canadians as possible can be safely immunized as rapidly as possible.” Source:ctvnews.ca
Syrian refugees celebrate fifth anniversary in Canada with virtual event
OTTAWA -- The organizer of a virtual celebration to mark the fifth anniversary of Canada’s welcoming Syrian refugees says Canadians’ support for the newcomers has been a beautiful example for the rest of the world. In an interview with The Canadian Press, the executive director of the Syrian Canadian Foundation Bayan Khatib says thousands of Canadians have volunteered to help Syrian refugees in almost every city and town in Canada. Khatib says she was sad the celebration wouldn’t happen in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But now she realizes it was a blessing, with almost 700 people from across
the country registered to attend online. Khatib, who came as a Syrian refugee to Canada more than 30 years ago, says most of the Syrian refugees her organization has worked with have learned English and found jobs thanks to the support they received from their communities. The first plane bearing Syrian refugees landed in Toronto on Dec. 10, 2015, following a promise by the Liberals during the 2015 election campaign to make it much easier for them to reach Canada. Nearly 73,000 Syrian refugees have been resettled here since then. Source: ctvnews.ca
OTTAWA, ON – Luc Berthold, Conservative Shadow Minister for Treasury Board, released the following statement regarding the scathing report from the Information Commissioner: “The Liberals have failed to be transparent with Canadians, especially during this pandemic.“The report released by the Information Commissioner shows that the access to information system was in a critical state before the pandemic. Now, it may be beyond repair. When it comes to
need to do better. “Justin Trudeau has repeatedly promised that he would improve Canada’s access to information system. The reality is that he has failed to do so. This is just another example of the Liberals over promising and under delivering. “The report also highlights a lack of leadership from the Trudeau government when it comes to the access to information system.
on Thursday. The comments were the clearest signal he has given that his political ambitions are far from exhausted. Trudeau came to power promising to focus on causes such as feminism and the environment. But he quickly found himself having to deal with issues such as how to handle U.S. President Donald Trump and then the pandemic. He has come to rely heavily on Chrystia Freeland, a close ally, who now occupies the positions of both finance minister and deputy prime minister. Liberal insiders say this would give her an advantage in a future leadership race. Asked whether Freeland might one day become Liberal leader, Trudeau replied: “My responsibility is to bring around me the best possible team I can to serve Canadians ... I won’t speculate on what could happen years down the road.” The Liberal government has spent more than C$200 billion in direct aid
to help people and businesses survive the pandemic and Trudeau reiterated Ottawa planned to spend another C$100 billion over the next few years to kick-start an economic recovery. But he made clear he opposed a vaccine passport for people who had received inoculations, an idea already being developed in Denmark, saying it was fraught with challenges. “I think the indications that the vast majority of Canadians are looking to be vaccinated will get us to a good place without having to take more extreme measures that could have real divisive impacts on community and country,” he said. Source:ctvnews.ca
Interprovincial travel ban? B.C. seeking legal advice, premier says
VICTORIA -- Premier John Horgan says he’s seeking legal advice to see if B.C. can stop Canadians from travelling to the province for non-essential reasons, as a measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. Horgan said he’d had conversations with other premiers about reducing non-essential travel, as concerns are being raised from across the province. Yet, he noted, Canada’s Constitution allows free travel within the country. It’s an issue that has been discussed both in B.C. and elsewhere for months, and Horgan said it’s time to find out whether provincial governments can act on it. ”I want to put this either to rest – so that British Columbians understand that we cannot do that, and we’re not going to do that – or there is a way to do it and we’re going to work with other provinces to achieve it,” he said at a media availability Thursday. He said the province is Whistler’s mayor says the city isn’t drawing the visitors it has in the past, due to the pandemic. “To be honest, there are very few people here,” Jack Crompton told CTV News. Yet there have been concerns raised about
the number of out-of-province visitors to Whistler over the winter break. Others have proposed a non-essential travel ban between Vancouver Island and other parts of the province. “I don’t know who is in the lines – I’m staying with the message ‘Stay home, stay local,’” added Crompton. Vail Resorts, the company that manages Whistler Blackcomb Resort, says mask measures are in place, capacity is limited and physical distancing is a must in local businesses. A spokesperson said operations are in line with public health orders. “It’s not our place to enforce that advisory. We ask people to listen to the public health recommendations,” Marc Riddell said. Maritime provinces were able to put a “bubble” in place to reduce travel in and out the region. But, Horgan pointed out, the population is smaller, and there are fewer ways to get in and out. Horgan said a virtual cabinet retreat this weekend will speak to the issue, and he expects a decision next week. Source: ctvnews.ca
Conservatives denounce lack of transparency from Trudeau government this important democratic tool, the Liberals It’s not surprising that there is a lack of leadership from the Liberals when it comes to transparency. “Canada’s access to information regime needs an urgent fix. Improving this key tool will help improve our democracy. It will also help more Canadians have faith in our democratic systems. Conservatives will continue to push for more transparency from the Trudeau Liberals.” Source: Office of Luc Berthold, M.P.
