Trudeau Announces New Federal Standard for Vaccine Passports, Pfizer Vaccine Deal for Children

Canada is introducing a standardized nationalist vaccine passport for home and planetary travel, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced connected Oct. 21.

The proof-of-vaccination certificate, which Canadians volition request to question some wrong the state and internationally, is based connected an planetary modular for Smart wellness cards and uses the provincial vaccine certificate already successful spot arsenic its framework.

“Today I’m blessed to corroborate that each provinces and territories person confirmed that they volition beryllium moving guardant with a standardized nationalist proof of vaccination,” Trudeau said astatine a property league connected Oct. 21.

He said Saskatchewan, Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and each 3 territories person already enactment this nationalist modular for impervious of vaccination into use.

The integer vaccine passport volition see the holder’s sanction and day of commencement and a QR codification that includes their vaccination history. It volition besides amusement the fig of doses received, the benignant of vaccine, batch numbers, and dates of vaccination. Paper copies volition besides beryllium accepted.

“You tin download it into your phone, you tin people it out, you tin inquire for a transcript by message if you don’t person those capacities, but you are present capable to amusement proofs of vaccination instantly successful each those provinces, and each different provinces person agreed and are moving hard to travel online,” Trudeau said.

The PM besides announced connected Oct. 21 that the national authorities has reached a woody with Pfizer-BioNTech connected purchasing pediatric vaccines for children aged 5 to 11.

“We’ve signed agreements with Pfizer, truthful that arsenic soon arsenic Health Canada gave america the greenish airy for usage successful Canada, precise soon aft afterward we’ll beryllium receiving capable doses successful Canada to vaccinate each Canadian kids betwixt 5 and 11,” Trudeau said.

On Oct. 18, Health Canada said it had received a submission from the vaccine institution requesting authorization to usage the COVID-19 vaccine successful children nether the property of 12, who are presently not eligible to person the vaccine.

Trudeau did not springiness an nonstop clip arsenic to erstwhile the vaccines volition rotation out, saying that they indispensable spell done the afloat valuation process by Health Canada.

“It is highly important that they spell done each the afloat processes indispensable truthful that each genitor tin person assurance erstwhile these vaccines bash get approved that they volition beryllium harmless for their children,” helium said.

Government Transitioning to More Targeted Pandemic Supports: Freeland

Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland besides said connected Oct. 21 that portion Canada’s system is rebounding, the economic recovery is “uneven” and that “the wellness measures that are redeeming lives proceed to restrict immoderate economical activity.”

“That is wherefore contiguous we are announcing what we precise overmuch anticipation and judge is the last pivot successful delivering the enactment needed to guarantee a robust recovery,” Freeland said.

As existing income and concern enactment programs are acceptable to extremity connected Oct. 23—including the Canada Response Benefit (CRB), Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), and the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS)—Freeland said the national authorities volition beryllium offering caller enactment programs that are much target-oriented.

“We are moving from the precise broad-based enactment that was due astatine the tallness of our lockdowns to much targeted measures that volition supply assistance wherever it is needed portion prudently managing authorities finances,” Freeland said.

The caller betterment benefits see a caller Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program, Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program, Lockdown Support Program, and the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit. The programs volition beryllium unfastened for exertion connected Oct. 24 and stay successful spot until May 7, 2022.

Freeland said the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program volition beryllium provided to employers done the intermediary wage subsidy programs and rent assistance programs.

Hotel and restaurants owners, arsenic good arsenic question agencies inactive facing COVID-19 restrictions, volition beryllium fixed a subsidy complaint of up to 75 percent depending connected their nonaccomplishment of revenue.

“The Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program volition beryllium disposable to employers who tin amusement they person faced heavy and enduring losses and volition supply enactment done the wage and rent subsidy programs,” Freeland said.

The subsidy complaint for this radical volition commencement astatine 10 percent for applicants with a 50 percent gross loss, and volition summation to a maximum of 50 percent subsidy for those with a 75 percent gross loss.

Both of these economical enactment programs volition beryllium disposable until May 7, 2022, but starting mid-March the enactment volition alteration by half, arsenic the authorities prepares for a afloat betterment and extremity to these pandemic-related benefits, Freeland said.