Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that former NATO commander Maj.−Gen. Dany Fortin will lead Canada’s vaccine distribution efforts.
Fortin most recently served as the Chief of Staff for the Canadian Joint Operations Command.
Trudeau announced the plan at a press conference this morning outside his home in Ottawa.
He began by noting that Ontario and Alberta were seeing record-high COVID-19 case counts.
“Winter is coming," he said.
"We’re being driven indoors and we can’t sit on patios and grasses like we used to.”
As a consequence, people must avoid gatherings as we head towards the light at the end of the tunnel, he added.
“Canada is well prepared for large-scale rollouts of vaccines, but this will be the biggest immunization [program] in the history of the country," he explained.
He added: “This will be a major effort. But together, Canada can and will do this.”
Most Canadians should be vaccinated by September 2021, Trudeau said.
The announcement follows days of criticism over his government’s vaccination strategy and uncertainty over the timeline of when Canadians might have access to a vaccine.
Deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo said Thursday that priority groups should start receiving vaccine doses early next year.
Ottawa has finalized agreements with five vaccine makers and is in advanced negotiations with two more.
The deals would secure 194 million doses with the option to buy another 220 million.
Fortin’s appointment comes amid more daily COVID−19 case numbers from Ontario, which reported 1,855 new cases, and 20 more deaths.
Quebec reported 1,269 new COVID−19 infections and 38 more deaths linked virus, including nine that occurred in the past 24 hours.
Nunavut announced four new cases of COVID−19.
Trudeau also said the federal government is sending $542 million to indigenous groups to help them set up welfare services for children and families.
The Canadian government has been promising to transfer control over child and family services to indigenous governing bodies so they don’t need to rely on outsiders to protect children in First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.
Child−protection agencies have often removed Indigenous children not just from their parents but out of their communities entirely when workers decide the kids aren’t safe.
That’s broken up families and hurt children’s connections to their heritage.
Federal figures say indigenous children make up more than half the kids in foster care across the country.
Trudeau said the new money is for everything from research and expert advice to consultations on how those indigenous governments will establish and run their own child and family services, as well as to support their negotiations with provincial and federal authorities.
