Prime Minister Justin Trudeau provided an update on Canada's fight against COVID, including insights on new modeling, testing, and vaccine rollouts.
Trudeau said that the newly presented modeling by Dr. Tam shows "hospitalizations on the rise," saying that in-person contacts needed to be reduced while vaccines continue to be delivered to Canada.
Regarding vaccines, Trudeau said that "almost a million" vaccine doses have been delivered to the provinces and territories, saying that shipments have been largely "ahead of schedule," acknowledging "bumps along the way."
"Due to work to expand one of the companies manufacturing facilities, deliveries to all countries receiving Pfizer doses made at the European facility will be temporarily reduced, including Canada," said Trudeau, noting that the delay will not impact Canada's second-quarter goals, or the plan for all Canadians to be able to receive a vaccine by September.
Trudeau added that Ontario, which introduced a stay-at-home order yesterday, had the federal government's support as the province fights new cases breaking a threshold of 3,000 daily.
Trudeau was asked why Canadians could travel out of the country to tropical all-inclusive vacations, while children are being fined for playing hockey on an outdoor rink.
"There are rules in different part of the country that apply differently, and different jurisdictions will set up the rules they think are best based on the best advice from public health officials," said Trudeau.
"We have strongly discouraged non-essential international travel, including by imposing mandatory quarantine to anyone returning to Canada, and now mandatory testing before they get on a plane to come back to Canada," said the prime minister.
Trudeau said the measures were designed to "limit" travel, adding that airlines were reducing their flights due to the measures.
"On top of that, with the concerns people are seeing around different variants popping up around the world, there is even more importance in keeping Canada safe from the arrival of new strains of this virus," said Trudeau.
Trudeau did not rule out travel bans for countries that find variants of COVID.
Trudeau slams Bloc leader over comments
On Wednesday, Bloc Quebecois leader Yves Francois Blanchet questioned newly-appointed Transport Minister Omar Alghabra's ties with what he called "the political Islamic movement."
Blanchet said that "questions arise" due to Alghabra's role as the former head of the Canadian Arab Federation.
"I was absolutely floored," said Trudeau. "Carefully coded questions, particularly this week when we just lived through last week, what happens when leaders don't take care of the words they do, and play these dangerous words around intolerance and hate."
"That kind of political pandering to the worst elements and to fears and anxieties has no place in Canada," said Trudeau.
In a comment to Global News, a Bloc spokesperson said "It's really questions about his past and also the separation of church and state, which is a profound value for the Bloc."
"We don't want to raise any accusations, because I don't think there’s that much," the comment concluded.
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