Public health officials are set to provide more details on Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan as the Conservatives push the Liberals for more information on how and when they will be distributed.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole and his party’s health critic Michelle Rempel Garner held a news conference Thursday to discuss an opposition day motion that will ask the government to release its plan by Dec. 16.
O’Toole accused the government of failing to provide Canadians with a plan and timeframe for vaccine distribution.
“Without a concrete timeline for vaccines, businesses won’t have the confidence to reinvest in their operations and rehire Canadians who have been laid off during the pandemic,” he said.
“Without a reliable timeline, or details, provinces have the impossible task of establishing complex supply chains with no lead time.”
More details on the government’s plan are expected at noon ET today when Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo and other officials provide a briefing on logistics for distribution of the vaccine.
The motion calls for a status update on:
- How each type of vaccine will be safely delivered to Canada, stored and distributed to Canadians.
- The date on which each vaccine type will first be deployed in Canada and the rate of vaccinations anticipated by month.
- Any planned federal guidance with respect to the deployment of the vaccine by priority group, such as front-line health workers and seniors.
- The plan to distribute the vaccine to Indigenous communities, members of the Canadian Armed Forces and veterans.
