Trudeau turns to the military to help with COVID-19 vaccine distribution
Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, a former NATO commander in Iraq, will head up vaccine logistics and operations
Trudeau said the government is creating a new military-supported hub within PHAC — the National Operations Centre — to help coordinate the deployment of millions of vaccine doses over the coming months.
"Canada is well prepared for large-scale rollouts of vaccines, but this will be the biggest immunization in the history of the country. We must reach everyone who wants a vaccine, no matter where they live," Trudeau said.
Trudeau said the armed forces will assist in planning for and tackling pressing challenges, such as the cold-storage requirements for the promising Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The military also will help Ottawa get shots to some Indigenous and rural communities where health care services are limited at the best of times.
"This will be a major effort but together, Canada can, and will, do this," Trudeau said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has also picked a military leader — Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada's former top soldier and chief of defence staff (CDS) — to lead similar vaccine efforts in the province.
While the federal government is procuring the drug, it will be up to the provinces and territories to get shots into the arms of Canadians. Hillier said that, despite massive uncertainties about possible delivery times, he's aiming to have some sort of distribution structure in place by Dec. 31.
Hillier said Fortin's appointment is a welcome development because the general has the know-how to execute a complicated rollout.