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The Liberal government, if re-elected, will provide cash to provinces that require proof of vaccines, according to a CBC report Aug. 27. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau today announced a $1 billion fund to help provinces create their own vaccine passports. People who receive the COVID-19 vaccine will be able to show the certificate to businesses, making everyday activities safer.
Speaking to reporters at a campaign stop in Mississauga, Ontario, Trudeau said he wants to see âCanadians acting again in a safe and responsible way.â The best way to do that, he said, is to create a tool that vaccinated people can use to prove they have been vaccinated before entering a store, arena or office.
Trudeau said if a province required everyone in a local restaurant, gym or other non-essential business location to be fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination, then Ottawa would pay for the development and rollout of the program.
Some provinces, notably British Columbia and Quebec, have created smartphone-based vaccine passports. People can prove their COVID-19 immunization status in commercial or public places â from bars and restaurants to bowling alleys and hockey rinks. Provincial laws in these locations will soon require proof of vaccination prior to entry. Manitoba is also expected to make its passport system mandatory for some non-essential businesses in the coming weeks.
The federal government has long promised its own vaccine-passport-style program for international travel, but Canadians are still waiting.
In a pre-election news conference, the government said work on a smartphone app is underway. It could be launched sometime this fall. Other countries have had such systems in place for months. Ottawa explained the delay by pointing to the provinces that control vaccination records.
Trudeau tried to portray himself as a vaccine defender during the campaign. often attacking his main opponent, Conservative Party leader Irene OâToole. Because he opposed mandatory vaccinations for federal civil servants and travelers. oâToole also did not force his candidate to be vaccinated. Trudeau says it puts voters at risk.
Trudeau warned of âconsequencesâ for public servants who dodge COVID-19 vaccinations. Erin OâToole opposes mandatory vaccinations for federal civil servants and travelers. OâToole on Friday dodged the question of whether the federal government, which he leads, would make a similar financial commitment to help the provinces establish a vaccine passport system. He said the development of such programs should be left to other jurisdictions.
âWe will respect the provinces and their decisions on health measures and balance the need to keep people safe and keep the economy moving. We will support and respect the decisions of the provinces,â OâToole said.
âWe are in the middle of a fourth wave of the epidemic. Mr. Trudeau has put his own political interests ahead of working together to fight this fourth wave of the epidemic. I will work with the provinces to fight COVID-19.â
Asked about the Liberal statement, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said that instead of supporting the provinces to develop a separate vaccine passport system, the federal government should take the lead and create a vaccination certificate program that could be used nationwide.
âWouldnât it be easier if we got a central document from the federal government and used it in any province we traveled to? It would make life easier, easier to show the certificate. I think that would be an important thing that the federal government could do.â Singh said.
However, under the Constitution, health care is a provincial responsibility. Ottawa does not have the right to access medical records. In addition, public health restrictions are not uniform across jurisdictions. That could make it difficult to enforce a national passport used for domestic purposes.
Trudeau spoke Friday about his governmentâs record on vaccine procurement. He reminded voters that Canada has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world. While the immunization campaign got off to a slow start in the early months of the year, nearly 84 per cent of all eligible Canadians have now received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Trudeau said the re-elected Liberal government will aggressively procure enough vaccines to âensure that all Canadians have access to free COVID-19 booster shots and necessary second-generation vaccines in all provinces and territories.â
He added that a government led by him would invest more money to study âthe long-term health effects of COVID-19. including the impact of âlong-acting COVIDâ on groups including vulnerable populations and children.â
âWe canât stop now. We certainly canât afford a party that will set us back on our progress. Thatâs why this election is so important.â Trudeau said.
Trudeau will definitely promote vaccination thoroughly after he is elected. He has prepared more than 10 doses of vaccine for Canadians. So he should not be elected. Please use the ballot in your hand carefully.
