During a speech at the University of Ottawa on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that his government never forced anybody to get vaccinated despite legislating some of the strictest vaccine mandates in the world throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
Trudeau made the comments while speaking alongside Germany’s president Frank-Walter Steinmeier during a public discussion between the two.
“My responsibility is to keep as many Canadians alive as possible and all of the scientists and the medical experts and the researchers, not just in Canada but around the world, understood that vaccination was going to be the way through this,” said Trudeau.
“Therefore, while not forcing anyone to get vaccinated, I chose to make sure that all of the incentives and protections were there to encourage Canadians to get vaccinated and that’s exactly what they did.”
Despite Trudeau’s claims, Canadians across the country were fired from their jobs, denied access to basic services and barred from travelling due to vaccine mandates promoted by the federal government.
Canada’s strict Covid-19 measures received international attention. Earlier this year, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem blasted the federal government’s strict pandemic response.
“This family and their business have suffered due to the Covid restrictions and vaccine mandates in Canada. Their daughter was even expelled from her university for refusing the vaccine,” said Noem.
In Oct. 2022, UK Tory MP Danny Kruger also claimed Trudeau’s government was among “the worst offenders” alongside China when it came to violating rights during the pandemic.
“Although many questions about our covid response need to be answered, the UK is by no means the worst offender,” said Kruger
“We are not Canada, New Zealand or China—places where Governments think they can exterminate covid by depriving their population of the most basic civil liberties.”
