Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed Canadians’ concerns regarding the federal government’s lagging vaccine rollout on Friday, saying that “anxiety” and “noise” were getting in the way of the real picture.
“I speak almost every week with CEOs of these vaccine companies, and they have assured me that they will meet their obligations,” claimed Trudeau.
“I hear it from all Canadians right now… They want to know when they can go back to everything they’ve done before… When the vaccines are going to come? That’s why there’s a lot of anxiety and there’s a lot of noise going on right now.”
Recent polls indicate a lack of confidence among Canadians in the Liberal government’s bungled vaccine campaign.
According to an Abacus Data study, 42% of Canadians polled stated that the Liberals have done a “poor/terrible” job ordering the vaccines Canadians need. Another 48% of Canadians stated the same about the government’s role in making sure that Canada receives vaccines in as timely a fashion as possible.
The prime minister’s own popularity has taken a hit as well as a result of the failed roll out with disapproval for Trudeau trending upwards at 42%, while only 36% of people polled said they had a positive impression of the prime minister.
The Trudeau government has faced recent criticism by the opposition for the ongoing delays.
On Thursday, Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole pinned the blame on the Liberals for the botched effort.
“Much of this uncertainty is due to the failure to plan by the Liberal government,” said O’Toole.
“Last April, Minister (Chrystia) Freeland was calling PPE procurement worldwide the ‘Wild West.’ Airplanes full of masks and ventilators were being redirected off tarmacs to the highest bidder. It’s incredible to think that the Liberal government didn’t learn from that experience and didn’t plan to ensure that Canada would not end up empty handed when it came to vaccines. But here we are.”
