Prime Minister’s remarks updating Canadians on the COVID-19 situation and announcing new public transit investments in Ontario
Hello everyone. Bonjour tout le monde.
Je suis heureux d’être ici aujourd’hui avec le ministre LeBlanc, ainsi que la Dre Tam et le Dr Njoo.
Aujourd’hui, je vais parler de notre lutte contre la COVID-19, et des mesures qu’on prend pour créer des emplois et rebâtir un Canada plus propre.
Cette semaine, c’est la Semaine de la profession infirmière.
C’est l’occasion de souligner l’importance et l’expertise des infirmières et des infirmiers au sein de nos systèmes de santé.
Bien sûr, c’est aussi l’occasion de les remercier à nouveau pour leur travail.
C’est grâce aux efforts et au dévouement des infirmières partout au pays qu’on a pu traverser cette année difficile.
Yesterday, I met virtually with nurses in Manitoba to say thank you for their incredible work, and to hear how things are going on the ground.
I got to hear first-hand how exhausted they are, but also how determined they are to continue to be there for Canadians.
To nurses across the country, I know this past year has been tough, and that this third wave is even harder, but you keep stepping up for your patients and for Canadians.
Thank you for your dedication, your skill, and your compassion.
Our government will continue to be there for everything you need — from vaccines, to rapid tests, to PPE, and everything else.
Our fight against COVID-19 is not over.
In many parts of the country, cases are still too high and hospitals are still under incredible pressure.
But there is hope.
Almost 50 per cent of eligible adults have received at least one shot.
Canada is in the top three countries of the G20 in terms of daily vaccinations.
By summer, we’ll have enough vaccines so that every eligible Canadian will have gotten their first dose.
And by September, as we’ve been saying for months, we’ll have enough doses for every Canadian to be fully vaccinated.
So here’s the situation — more and more Canadians are getting vaccinated.
But like we know, cases, in far too many places, are far too high.
We can’t ease public health restrictions until cases are way down.
We all want to have a summer where we can see our loved ones and invite friends over for BBQs.
We can have that summer, we can have a one-dose summer.
But for that, two things need to happen.
First, restrictions need to remain in place until cases go way down, with more screening, testing, and contact tracing.
We need to successfully limit community transmission.
Second, as Dr. Tam said, at least 75 per cent of Canadians need to have received their first shots.
And we need to keep ramping up those second doses.
If we can do this, then we can have a more normal, better summer.
And a one-dose summer sets us up for a two-dose fall when we’ll be able to talk about going back to school, back to work, and back to more normality.
That’s what the coming months could look like.
That’s what I’m excited about.
And that’s up to all of us by remaining vigilant, following local public health guidelines to drive case numbers down, and getting vaccinated.
Jusqu’à maintenant, on a livré près de 20 millions de doses de vaccins aux provinces et aux territoires.
La semaine prochaine, comme pour chaque semaine de mai, on va recevoir deux millions de doses du vaccin de Pfizer.
Au Québec, la vaccination progresse très bien.
J’aimerais remercier tous ceux qui font partie de cet incroyable effort pour garder les Québécois et les Canadiens en sécurité.
Si c’est votre tour de vous faire vacciner, vous pouvez faire votre part en prenant un rendez-vous.
Continuons à travailler tous ensemble pour en finir avec cette pandémie le plus rapidement possible.
Partout au pays, nos efforts se poursuivent pour combattre la troisième vague.
Notre gouvernement est prêt à faire tout ce qu’il faut pour soutenir les provinces et les territoires, et tous les Canadiens.
In the last few weeks, Nunavut has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases.
As soon as numbers started going up, we moved quickly to keep people safe by sending more PPE and medical equipment.
But even more help is needed, so that’s what we’re going to provide.
We’re working with the Government of Nunavut and the NTI on additional and immediate support for Nunavut.
This funding will help with everything from food security to communities with active cases, to providing better IT equipment for students who need to do remote learning, to additional health supports to protect people.
Our government’s priority is to keep you safe, no matter where you live.
And that’s exactly what we’re going to continue to do.
Comme je l’ai dit la semaine dernière, on continue aussi d’aider les autres pays durement touchés par cette crise.
Ce matin, je peux confirmer qu’un deuxième avion des Forces armées canadiennes a pris la direction de l’Inde avec des ventilateurs médicaux – que nous avions en surplus – pour aider à soutenir leurs hôpitaux dans la lutte contre le virus.
On le sait, pour se débarrasser de la pandémie une bonne fois pour toutes, il faudra l’enrayer partout dans le monde.
La lutte contre la COVID-19 est un effort mondial et le Canada va toujours être là pour faire sa part.
Ending this pandemic is job one.
But as we come into what’s hopefully the final stretch of this crisis, we also have to look to building a strong recovery for every Canadian and every community.
On that note, today, I want to talk about another major step we’re taking to make our communities more connected, create jobs, and fight climate change.
We’ve reached a historic agreement on public transit in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).
If you live in the GTHA, even if you’re working from home right now, I don’t have to tell you what the traffic’s like.
After a busy day at work, you want to spend time with your family, not hours commuting.
Not only that, but heavy traffic also causes a lot of pollution.
That’s why we’re working with Ontario to make improvements to public transit that people in the GTHA can count on.
We are investing over $12 billion, including in four subway projects in the GTA, and one rapid transit project in Hamilton.
To begin with, we’re investing in the Ontario Line Project, which will bring rapid transit from Exhibition Place, through downtown, to the Ontario Science Centre.
Anyone in Toronto can tell you that the subway is way too busy — sometimes in rush hour, people have to wait for two or three trains to go by before they can even get on.
This major investment will help not only deal with that, but also create thousands of good jobs and get gridlock traffic off the roads.
The second project for the GTA is the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension.
This will create a continuous rapid transit line along Eglinton Avenue between Scarborough and Mississauga, a part of the city that needs better crosstown service.
Again, this will create jobs, lighten traffic, and keep air in the GTA clean.
The third and fourth transit projects we’re investing in for the GTA are the Yonge Street North Subway Extension and the Scarborough Subway Extension.
On Yonge Street North, we’re extending Line 1 north to Vaughan, Markham, and Richmond Hill.
If you live in the north of the city, this means cutting down your commute by almost half an hour.
For people in Scarborough who don’t currently have good transit options, this investment will mean three more stops along Line 2.
That’s what this investment means for the GTA.
Here’s what it means for Hamilton.
We’re going to provide major support for rapid transit in Hamilton, for a line that will go from McMaster University in the west, through downtown, all the way to Eastgate Centennial Park in Stoney Creek.
Just like the transit projects in Toronto, this will support jobs, make people’s commutes better, and cut down on pollution.
This $12 billion in funding means people will get where they need to go faster, all with tens of thousands fewer cars on the road daily.
In addition, part of this funding will go toward buying zero-emissions streetcars for the TTC.
Not only will these new streetcars help keep Toronto’s air clean – this deal will also help protect good, middle class jobs at the Alstom automotive plants in Thunder Bay and in La Pocatière.
Le Canada est un chef de file dans le domaine manufacturier du transport collectif, que ce soit pour les autobus à zéro émission ou les voitures de métro ou de train léger.
On va continuer d’encourager cette industrie ici au pays.
Minister McKenna will share more details about these investments later today and throughout the week.
The federal government always listens to Canadians, which is why we pushed hard for key conditions in the funding agreement to improve the outcomes from the projects, including community and environmental benefits, affordable housing, and more citizen engagement.
But the bottom line is this: Rapid transit shortens commutes, which gives parents more time with their kids, and ensures kids will inherit a cleaner future.
Public transit is at the heart of a strong recovery and a growing middle class.
It’s also part of our plan to reach net-zero by 2050.
Investments like these are key to making communities more livable and affordable — communities people can love to call home.
En travaillant ensemble pour améliorer la qualité de vie des Canadiens maintenant et pour l’avenir, on va rebâtir un pays plus fort et plus propre pour tout le monde.
Merci.
