Trudeau refuses to say when vaccines will arrive in Canada

During his Friday presser in front of Rideau Cottage, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked when vaccines would arrive in Canada, a question which he did not answer.

Annie Bergeron Oliver from CTV News asked Trudeau about the approval of vaccines, which is expected to happen in about two weeks. She mentioned that Americans will start to be vaccinated two days after the approval, and asked why he couldn't provide a timeline for vaccine rollout.

Trudeau went on to say that his government is “working extremely hard to approve a vaccine” and praised Canada’s health experts. He did not, however, answer the question.

In her follow up, Bergeron Oliver stressed that a decision on vaccine approval is expected in two weeks. She then asked him why he is only now appointing a general to help with vaccine distribution, if the vaccine could be ready in just two weeks. She noted that President Trump appointed a general to overview vaccines back in the spring.

He again did not directly answer the question and instead went on to list the accomplishments of his government on the pandemic file. He also said he would have a “strong plan” for vaccines and would work with the provinces.

Canadians learned earlier this week that many countries around the world will be getting the vaccine before Canada. When pressed about this vaccine delay in question period earlier this week, Trudeau blamed Harper, saying that his Conservative government had cut healthcare spending more than 10 years ago.

Trudeau also said that it will only be in September 2021 that more than half of Canadians will be vaccinated. This means that we could see up to a year of more restrictions and lockdowns.