Jagmeet Singh introduces mass vaccination plan to get Canadians vaccinated

The Liberal government has failed to be up front with Canadians on when and where they’ll get vaccinated against COVID-19

OTTAWA – Canadians who have spent the last eleven months under lockdown and staying home from work to stop the spread of COVID-19 need to know when they’ll get vaccinated. Under Justin Trudeau, Canada is falling behind other countries in vaccination efforts while his government fails to rollout a vaccination plan for Canadians. Today, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announced a plan to get vaccines into Canadian’s arms and to ensure this situation never happens again.

“Canadians want to go back to some kind of normalcy but are frustrated with this Liberal government that isn’t doing everything necessary to get people vaccinated as soon as possible,” said Singh. “This is a Team Canada effort without a captain – the Prime Minister isn’t delivering the leadership Canadians need. The NDP’s plan sets out a course to vaccinate Canadians quickly so that we can start recovering from the pandemic.”

The NDP’s plan includes a mass national vaccination campaign that would involve everyone who can help get people vaccinated – health care professionals, medical and nursing students, retired health care workers and military personnel.

“We need all hands-on deck to end this crisis,” said Singh. “COVID-19 forced small businesses to shut their doors while so many people across the country lost their jobs. A national plan for the vaccination of every Canadian will help small businesses get their footing and get people back to work to support their families. Why isn’t this the Liberals' number one priority? Canadians expect better and deserve better. Our plan will let Canadians know when and where they’ll be vaccinated.”

Furthermore, the NDP’s plan calls for the ramp up of domestic production of vaccines and PPE by establishing publicly owned production facilities. To ensure Canada doesn’t tap into the vaccine supply intended for developing countries, the NDP calls for more international collaboration to increase global supply of vaccines.

“We must do our part not only to end the crisis at home, but also recognize that this pandemic needs to be fought on the world stage,” said Singh. “That’s why we are calling on the Trudeau government to stop protecting the profits of big pharma and opposing licensing production in other countries. The safety of Canadians – and the safety of people around the world – should be our top priority. Not the bottom line of big pharma. New Democrats will keep fighting for you and the safety of your family.”