Skip to main content

Canadians are 'angry' with the unvaccinated: Trudeau

At this point in the pandemic, with widespread new restrictions and postponed surgeries for tens of thousands, Canadians are “angry” with those in this country who still have not rolled up their sleeves to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday.

“People are seeing cancer treatments and elective surgeries put off because beds are filled with people who chose not to get vaccinated; they’re frustrated. When people see that we're in lockdowns, or serious public health restrictions right now because [of] the risk posed to all of us by unvaccinated people, people get angry,” the prime minister said.

Across the country over the last few weeks, new case counts have hit record highs largely due to the rapidly spreading and more transmissible Omicron variant, prompting a new wave of restrictions aimed at easing the strain on overburdened health-care sectors and testing facilities.

For months politicians and public health officials have been imploring Canadians to get vaccinated, running campaigns meant to educate, encourage, and dispel vaccine misinformation, and implementing proof of vaccination systems that restrict access to certain spaces and activities.

According to the latest federal figures, more than 87 per cent of Canadians ages 12 and older are fully vaccinated. However, millions of Canadians have chosen to not receive a single COVID-19 dose.

Asked Wednesday whether it’s time for a different approach, after French President Emmanuel Macron declared he wanted to “piss off” unvaccinated people, Trudeau said he like many Canadians is frustrated by anti-vaxxers and that it’s not too late for them to “do the right thing.”

“I can tell you, that front-line health worker who is giving you your first dose of the vaccine, even now in January 2022, will be immensely pleased to be able to give you that first dose of vaccine even today, because they'd much rather be giving you an injection of vaccine than intubating you in an ICU,” Trudeau said.

In a later Facebook live stream, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole also encouraged Canadians to get vaccinated, advising those who may still have questions to ask them. Though he also said that he won’t “divide people” over the issue.

“I want to make sure people get the vaccines because it's the best tool. And if we're always just going into lockdown, you're going to see people use that as an excuse to not get boosted, or not to get vaccinated,” he said. “We can accommodate a small number that may not be vaccinated, we can use the other tools as well to try and find balance in life.”

The Conservatives are the only major federal party that won’t confirm how many of their MPs are vaccinated. All Liberal, Bloc Quebecois, NDP and Green MPs are vaccinated. 

IN DEPTH

ANALYSIS

ANALYSIS What do the policies Poilievre's party passed say about the Conservatives' future?

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre spent the summer speaking about housing affordability, a core focus that attendees at the party's Quebec City convention were quick to praise him for. But by the end of the weekend, delegates opted to instead pass policies on contentious social issues. What does that say about the Conservatives' future?

Opinion

opinion

opinion Don Martin: With Trudeau resignation fever rising, a Conservative nightmare appears

With speculation rising that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will follow his father's footsteps in the snow to a pre-election resignation, political columnist Don Martin focuses on one Liberal cabinet minister who's emerging as leadership material -- and who stands out as a fresh-faced contrast to the often 'angry and abrasive' leader of the Conservatives.

OPINION

OPINION Don Martin: Life in Trudeau's brain defies imagination

Getting inside Justin Trudeau's head these days requires a vivid imagination. The prime minister's bizarre statement on the Middle East war this week reflects a distorted view that human-shielded resistance by Hamas terrorists can be overcome with "maximum restraint" by Israel's military.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

'No concessions' St-Onge says in $100M a year news deal with Google

The Canadian government has reached a deal with Google over the Online News Act that will see the tech giant pay $100 million annually to publishers, and continue to allow access to Canadian news content on its platform. This comes after Google had threatened to block news on its platform when the contentious new rules come into effect next month.

opinion

opinion Don Martin: With Trudeau resignation fever rising, a Conservative nightmare appears

With speculation rising that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will follow his father's footsteps in the snow to a pre-election resignation, political columnist Don Martin focuses on one Liberal cabinet minister who's emerging as leadership material -- and who stands out as a fresh-faced contrast to the often 'angry and abrasive' leader of the Conservatives.

Stay Connected