Canada’s health minister believes provinces and territories will likely discuss mandatory vaccination requirements in the coming weeks and months, he said on Friday, a comment that came a day after federal Conservative Party leader Erin O ‘ Toole, told the media that “reasonable accommodation” must be made for unvaccinated Canadians.
At a press conference Thursday, O’Toole, who voiced opposition to vaccine mandates in the 2021 federal elections, criticized Ottawa for “normalizing closures and restrictions as the primary tool to combat the latest variant of COVID- 19 “and not keeping society open. .
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said that unvaccinated people account for nearly 50 percent of hospitalizations in Quebec, adding that Canada’s health care system is currently “fragile” and “people are tired.” .
“The only thing that will solve COVID-19 is vaccination, and that is why, again, so many people, including myself, are concerned that Mr. O’Toole is not even asking his own members of Parliament to get vaccinated. Duclos said at a news conference Friday in Ottawa.
O’Toole’s “lack of leadership would only force more lockdowns and put Canadians at greater risk,” he said.
Duclos’s office later added in a statement: “By opposing these measures, including for his own members of Parliament, Mr. O’Toole is effectively supporting the continuation of the blockades.”
Among O’Toole’s comments on Thursday was the claim that although Canada has vaccines available, “we are still terribly behind in other tools, such as testing and the national supply of PPE (personal protective equipment).”
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Duclos’s office said that in addition to getting enough vaccines for all Canadians and delivering “120 million rapid tests by the end of December,” it will send 140 million more rapid tests to provinces and territories this month.
While rapid tests, PCR tests, the use of masks, social distancing and PPE are “very important tools … what will make us overcome this crisis and put an end to it is vaccination,” Duclos said.
This sentiment was seconded by Green MP for Kitchener Center Mike Morrice.
@jyduclos believes that provinces and territories are likely to discuss mandatory vaccination policies in the near future as Ontario and Quebec are heavily affected by Omicron, adding that these discussions are not currently taking place. # covid19 #cdnpoli #vaccines
“While measures such as rapid tests are part of an overall plan, the fact is that the majority of ICU hospitalizations and admissions are unvaccinated COVID patients,” Morrice said in a statement to National Observer of Canada. “If we expect our burned health workers to see a light at the end of the tunnel, we must focus on reaching out and involving those who are not fully vaccinated.”
In an emailed statement, MP Don Davies, the NDP’s health critic, said: “Rather than wedge politics, Canadians need national leadership to overcome the current crisis.
“For many months, the New Democrats have called for a federal mass vaccination strategy to accelerate implementation, remove all barriers to vaccination, and improve acceptance among groups who are hesitant to get vaccinated.”
It notes that Canadians “cannot get timely access to booster vaccines” and says “the federal government must do everything in its power to ensure that the third dose is delivered as quickly as possible.”
Quebec has required vaccine passports for non-essential activities since September, but took it a step further earlier this week when Provincial Health Minister Christian Dubé announced that Quebecers will need to show proof of vaccination to enter liquor stores and government-run cannabis.
Duclos says that discussions about mandatory vaccination policies are not currently ongoing, but in a tweet, Alberta Prime Minister Jason Kenney ruled out mandatory vaccination. Dubé, for his part, said: “If we have to go there, we will” in response to questions about mandatory vaccination a few days before Christmas.
Duclos said Ontario and Quebec “going through a very difficult time” is a warning to some provinces and territories that “they need to act now because if they don’t act enough, it will be difficult for the federal government to help later because we don’t have the capacity to do so.” .
The Bloc Québécois did not respond to a request for comment before the deadline.
Natasha Bulowski / Local Journalism Initiative / National Observer of Canada
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com