Annamie Paul, leader of the Green Party of Canada, released a statement regarding her thoughts on the COVID-19 vaccinations and the lack of access to Indigenous communities.
On Monday, Annamie said the government hasn’t worked out a plan regarding access for Indigenous communities to the vaccine. “Access for Indigenous communities remains a critical question unanswered by this Government given the storage requirements of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines,” she said in her statement.
She said that this doesn’t show the government is fulfilling its part on reconciliation. Particularly after Indigenous leaders were left out of last week’s First Ministers’ Meeting. “Leaving Indigenous leaders out of last week’s First Ministers’ Meeting sends a terrible signal and demonstrates a lack of understanding on the part of the government on what reconciliation truly means and how we can model this during the pandemic and vaccine roll-out.” she said.
Annamie expressed that she is happy that people around Canada are getting the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccines. “I am heartened that Anita Quidangen in Toronto, Gloria Lalouz in Montreal, and Gisèle Levesque in Quebec City received their first doses of the Pfizer BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine,” said Annamie Paul on Monday.
The leader of the Green Party is also reminding everyone about those who are suffering from high infection and mortality rates. Especially those in long-term care, low-income and racialized communities.
Annamie wants Canadians to remain vigilant during the holiday season. “We are not out of the woods yet, and the second wave is not over,” she said. She also wants people to understand that as vaccines are distributed, “information is key”.
Read the full statement by Annamie Paul
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