Prime Minister provides an update on COVID-19 // Le premier ministre fait une mise à jour sur la COVID-19
Remarks in full // Remarques complètes
Bon vendredi tout le monde.
It’s been a difficult year.
There’s no other way to put it.
But when times get tough, Canadians step up.
I want to start today by thanking Canadians for all their efforts in the fight against this global pandemic.
- You made a lot of sacrifices these past months
- You helped keep people safe
- You helped save lives
- So thank you
On the 8th and final day of Hanukkah, and with only one week to go until Christmas, there are more than 75,000 active COVID-19 cases across the country.
Deaths per capita are continuing to rise in many G7 countries, including Canada.
Countries around the world continue to feel the pain of the second wave.
We need to take this very seriously as numbers continue to head in the wrong direction.
Our fight against this virus is not over, even as we’re preparing to say goodbye – and good riddance – to 2020.
It may be the holiday season, but we have to be more careful than ever.
On Monday, vaccinations started for the most vulnerable and for frontline workers.
Canada has secured agreements for up to 417,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines ahead of schedule.
This includes over 200,000 early doses of the Pfizer vaccine scheduled for next week, and 168,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine before the end of December, pending Health Canada approval.
I want to assure you again that any vaccine approved in Canada will be both safe and effective, and that health experts are making those decisions independently.
In January, we’ll be getting 125,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine per week, for a total of 500,000 doses for the month.
With the guaranteed millions of doses coming in 2021, every Canadian who wants a vaccine will get one, no matter where they live.
This is the largest immunization campaign our country’s history, and I know we have the right plan and the expertise we need.
But remember, a vaccine in a week or in a month won’t help you if you get COVID-19 today.
That’s why we need to keep working together to slow the spread of COVID-19.
So please, continue to follow public health guidelines.
- Avoid gatherings
- Practice social distancing
- Use the COVID Alert app
- Do the right thing for the most vulnerable
- Being careful is a gift we can all give fellow Canadians and healthcare workers
Nous faisons beaucoup d’efforts pour nous assurer que les Canadiens aient accès à des vaccins sécuritaires et efficaces, partout au pays.
En même temps, nous travaillons aussi à nous procurer et à développer des traitements pour combattre la COVID-19 ainsi que d’autres infections virales.
À ce sujet, j’annonce aujourd’hui un investissement de près de 9 millions de dollars par le biais du Centre national de recherches du Canada pour soutenir le développement de ces traitements.
Cet investissement ira vers 4 compagnies pour leur candidat de traitement contre la COVID-19, dont 2 à Montréal et 2 à Vancouver.
Il est important de continuer à développer des solutions ici au Canada afin de lutter contre la COVID-19 et de se préparer pour d’autres éventuelles pandémies.
C’est en travaillant avec les chercheurs, les scientifiques et les entreprises que nous allons y arriver.
For many Canadians, the holidays are a time to cook good food and have a few extra pieces of dessert because well… why not.
But for far too many others, the reality is very different, especially during the pandemic.
More than a third of Canadians who rely on food banks are children.
That’s unacceptable.
In a country like Canada, no child should go hungry.
In October, our government announced another $100 million under the Emergency Food Security Fund, doubling our investment from the spring.
This morning, Minister Bibeau outlined the details of where that additional funding will go, including $30 million for food security in First Nation, Metis, and Inuit communities.
With these funds, food banks, local food organizations, and Indigenous groups will be able to purchase and safely distribute food to help vulnerable people and communities.
I want to say a special thank you to all the volunteers and workers at food organizations who have stepped up to help their fellow Canadians.
I met many of you virtually in October, and I remember you sharing how you had to adapt really quickly when this pandemic hit.
Thank you for your work, your time, your generosity, and for your commitment answering the call for others in need.
Je sais qu’on aurait tous espéré que la situation soit différente pour les Fêtes.
L’année a déjà été difficile et on vous demande encore de faire des efforts.
Mais ce n’est pas le temps de lâcher.
- Il y a de l’espoir
- Les vaccins arrivent
- On a des millions de doses de réservées pour les mois à venir
- Il faut continuer à suivre les consignes de la santé publique
- Évitez les rassemblements
- Noël ne sera pas pareil cette année
- Mais offrons notre vigilance en cadeau aux travailleurs de la santé
Since the beginning of this crisis, our government has done everything we can to protect you and your family.
We’ve sent millions of pieces of PPE to the provinces and territories.
We’ve created special programs for families and workers who needed it.
We’ve supported small businesses so that they could stay open and hold on.
We’ve presented historic measures to rebuild a more resilient economy that works for everyone.
Now I know that this won’t be the kind of holiday season we were hoping for.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t feel hopeful about what comes next.
This past year has had its challenges, but we faced them together.
When this new virus started spreading, few people thought we’d have an approved vaccine so soon.
- Thank you to scientists and health experts around the world
- You’ve done incredible things this year
- It’s so important that we keep supporting you and keep trusting science
The vaccination campaign has started.
Millions of doses are already secured, and will be coming in the next months.
We planned thoroughly.
We’re relying on advice from the best experts, and we’re working with the provinces and territories to roll out them out.
Canada has the most vaccines secured per capita, and the most diverse portfolio of vaccine options in the world.
We’re also doing our part to help developing countries get access to more tests, treatments, and vaccines so we can fight this pandemic everywhere.
There are reasons to be hopeful for 2021.
Just like through this spring, summer, and fall, we will continue to be there for you.
We will have your back.
Every step of the way.
We will do as a government whatever it takes, for as long as it takes.
We’re coming into the final miles of this crisis, and we can’t give up now.
So stay home.
Stay safe.
And we will get through this together.
Joyeux Noël tout le monde. Merry Christmas.
Merci.
-The Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
