National

O'Toole says unvaccinated must be accommodated

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 06 Jan, 2022 01:09 PM

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says those unwilling to be vaccinated against COVID-19 should be accommodated through measures like rapid testing, as health experts warn the lightning-fast spread of the Omicron variant threatens to overwhelm hospitals.

LIVE: Trudeau’s COVID-19 failures are resulting in the normalization of lockdowns

EN DIRECT : Les échecs de Justin Trudeau en réponse à la COVID-19 entraînent une normalisation des confinements https://t.co/qZQB5wpMIq
— Erin O'Toole (@erinotoole) January 6, 2022

Ontario is reporting an uptick in hospitalizations and days ago made the decision to keep school-aged kids learning from home for at least two weeks, which Doug Ford's government said was to take pressure off the health-care system.

Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliot says of the 319 patients in intensive care, 232 of them are not fully immunized against COVID-19 or have an unknown status, while 87 are double-vaccinated.

O'Toole came out as opposed to vaccine mandates during last year's election campaign and today accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of fuelling vaccine hesitancy by attacking those who haven't received their shot.

Trudeau on Wednesday said Canadians are angry at those who refuse to be vaccinated because they are filling up hospital beds, causing cancer treatments and elective surgeries to be put off.

The Conservative leader says he refuses to criticize people who aren't vaccinated and believes "reasonable accommodations" should be provided to those who work in the trucking industry in order to avoid service disruptions.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Highlights from Freeland’s fiscal update

The cost of resettling Afghan refugees in Canada is expected to be $1.3 billion over six years, starting in the current fiscal year, and $66.6 million in future years. Last week, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said he expects it will take two years to fulfil the government's promise to bring 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada.

Highlights from Freeland’s fiscal update

B.C. detects 44 cases of COVID-19 variant Omicron

The cases are included in new infection modelling released today that also shows overall COVID-19 cases rising on Vancouver Island, driven by outbreaks at the University of Victoria and a religious gathering in the northern part of the island.

B.C. detects 44 cases of COVID-19 variant Omicron

Military will act quickly on Arbour plan: minister

The Liberal government tapped Arbour last April to lead a detailed review and come up with better ways to address sexual assault, harassment and other misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Military will act quickly on Arbour plan: minister

Singh would back Bill 21 court challenge

The NDP leader said Tuesday he always believed the law was discriminatory but has hardened his stance on court action following the case of a teacher in Chelsea, Que., who was reassigned because she wears a hijab.

Singh would back Bill 21 court challenge

Liberals ready to release economic update

While the Bank of Canada has a mandate to keep inflation in check, the government agreed Monday it plays a role in helping the central bank maintain inflation around its two-per-cent target.

Liberals ready to release economic update

Indigenous people more likely to die from opioids

Data from the First Nations Health Authority in British Columbia shows that Indigenous people are five times more likely to experience an overdose and three times more likely to die than other residents. The gap has been further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, the authority said.