“A plan will actually help provide details and help educate Canadians on the research and approvals of vaccines, how they’ll be stored so that can be used effectively, how they can be rolled out first to the most vulnerable, and then to to other Canadians,”
Conservative Party Leader Erin O'Toole criticized the Trudeau Liberals on Thursday for failing to be transparent about the coronavirus vaccine, which he insists is causing Canadians to distrust the federal government on the issue.
"A plan will actually help provide details and help educate Canadians on the research and approvals of vaccines, how they'll be stored so that can be used effectively, how they can be rolled out first to the most vulnerable, and then to to other Canadians," O'Toole said.
O'Toole has every reason to be concerned, the Liberal government has been far from transparent in explaining when the vaccine to COVID-19 will come. While the United Kingdom is expected to begin vaccinations of their citizens next week, the Liberals have continuously offered different times for when it will arrive.
At the end of August, the Prime Minister's Office announced that the first vaccines would be produced in November. Similar remarks came from Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains, who said on the same day that a coronavirus vaccine would be available "starting this fall."
As November approached, and it became apparent that the Liberals did not have a vaccine to offer Canadians, the government started insisting that the vaccine would be available in early 2021. On October 23, Prime Minister Trudeau said that the vaccine would be available "some time in the new year," clarifying the next month that it would be available "in the first quarter of 2021." Such comments were also echoed by Dr. Theresa Tam.
Later in November, Trudeau and his cabinet began providing wider and more vague ranges of time for when the coronavirus vaccine would be distributed. Health Minister Patty Hajdu said that the vaccine would be administered "as they arrive on Canadian soil" without expressing a specific date. The next day, Minister Bains endorsed the biopharmaceutical company Medicago's statement that the vaccine will be rolled out "subject to Health Canada approval" without any specifics.
Three days later, on November 27, Prime Minister Trudeau said that most Canadians will not be vaccinated until September.
Just a few days after that, on December 1, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland stated that the vaccine would be available "before summer."
When it comes to transparency surrounding the coronavirus vaccine, O'Toole has reason for concern. In times of uncertainty, it is important for a government to be transparent and honest, and the Trudeau Liberals have been inconsistent and vague.
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