Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pushed back against critics of his government's COVID-19 vaccination plan with assurances most Canadians would be inoculated by September 2021, with a former NATO commander leading distribution.
Trudeau announced Friday that Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin will lead the nation's vaccine distribution efforts, overseeing logistics that include cold storage requirements, data sharing, and reaching Indigenous communities.
He also acknowledged the public's eagerness to know when those efforts might begin, but said what matters most is the ``finish line.''
Trudeau said most citizens are expected to be vaccinated by September 2021, and it was important to make sure this was done as safely as possible.
Deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo has suggested he hoped to see most Canadians vaccinated by the end of next year, but this is the most specific the Liberal government has been.
Njoo later said the Prime Minister's prediction is ``in the same ballpark'' as previous rollout plans, and said September was a good target to work towards.