Acceptance of coronavirus vaccines is about “being there for each other” and “defines what being a Canadian is,” leftist Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday.
Trudeau made the remarks during a remote press conference from an undisclosed location in response to a demonstration in Ottawa, ON, of truckers and other protesters opposed to vaccine mandates.
Trudeau framed coronavirus vaccination as a prerequisite to ending governmentally-decreed lockdowns and shutdowns. Restoration of “freedom,” he added, requires a higher degree of vaccination across the public. Trudeau’s remarks alternated between English and French. Statements made in French were translated to English in real-time by CPAC, a public affairs channel run by a consortium of cable TV companies analogous to C-SPAN.
“The protesters are talking about freedom,” Trudeau said. “Well, Canadians know that freedom means getting back to the things that they used to enjoy, and the way to be able to do that is to get vaccinated. The way that we built this country was by being there for each other. That’s what defines what being Canadian is.”
He continued, “So while this fringe minority is protesting, the vast majority of Canadians are thinking, ‘Come on.’ It’s by continuing to be there for each other that we will get through this pandemic. We all want to be done with this pandemic, but the vast majority of Canadians know very well the way out is not protesting the pandemic, it’s getting vaccinated.”
Trudeau repeatedly advised all Canadians to accept coronavirus vaccines, framing the medical treatment as an altruistic behavior to protect others.
The prime minister repeatedly framed vaccines as the only “way out of this pandemic.”
“The vast majority of Canadians know that [protesting] is not how we can end this pandemic,” he claimed. “The way out of this pandemic is getting vaccinated. It’s listening to public health advice, and the best way to get out of this pandemic and to continue to be there for each other is to show that we understand the importance of following science, facts, and health experts. That’s how we’ll get out of this pandemic.”
Despite claiming to have received two doses of coronavirus vaccines and a “booster,” Trudeau said he had “tested positive for [Chinese coronavirus]” and will be “working remotely” for the week.
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