OTTAWA / SAINT JOHN, NB -- Conservative Leader Erin O鈥橳oole refused to say Thursday whether he still thinks Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has handled the pandemic better than the federal government, as the province faces a rapidly worsening COVID-19 situation.
After Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh both addressed the newly-announced restrictions in that province and Kenney鈥檚 about-face on vaccine passports, O鈥橳oole repeatedly dodged reporters鈥� questions on the matter.
鈥淭hroughout this crisis, all the provinces have tried to make the balance between making public health paramount and balancing off the economic needs. All provinces have shifted and adjusted based on various reasons,鈥� O鈥橳oole said, speaking at a curling club in Saint John, N.B.
鈥淏ut what the provinces have not had is a consistent and reliable partner in Ottawa. Mr. Trudeau fights with people. I will fight for Canadians, and we would never have let the Delta variant get its hold in Canada.鈥�
Over the course of the pandemic O鈥橳oole has spoken positively about how his former Harper-era cabinet colleague Kenney has handled the pandemic, and has suggested his party could take lessons from Alberta鈥檚 stickhandling of the ongoing health crisis.
Last fall, before the mass vaccination effort got underway and prior to Kenney lifting most COVID-19 restrictions in July, O鈥橳oole said in a that 鈥淧remier Kenney has navigated this COVID-19 pandemic far better than the federal government has.鈥�
Asked Thursday whether that is still his view, O鈥橳oole pivoted to talking about Trudeau calling a pandemic election and suggested what Canadians are focused on is not the increasingly at-capacity ICUs in Alberta, but why the country is in a federal election campaign.
鈥淪o what Canadians have to realize is this election is about a choice. The prime minister who ignored the Delta variant and called an election, a $600-million election, or someone who will make sure we鈥檙e ready, that has a plan to make sure we never again caught slow and unprepared for a pandemic,鈥� he said.
On Wednesday evening, Kenney held a press conference where he apologized for his government鈥檚 pandemic approach and admitted was the 鈥渨rong鈥� path.
"I know that we had all hoped this summer that we could put COVID behind us once and for all, that was certainly my hope and I said that very clearly," said Kenney.
"It is now clear that we were wrong, and for that I apologize."
Kenney declared a state of public health emergency as active COVID-19 cases surpass 18,000, the most of any province.
He said 90 per cent of patients in Alberta's intensive care units are unvaccinated. The province set a pandemic high for the number of ICU admissions on Tuesday with 212.
Pollster Nik Nanos of Nanos Research told 麻豆影视 Thursday that the announcement out of Alberta would be 鈥渁 major distraction for Erin O鈥橳oole.鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檚 probably ready to attack Trudeau and have closing messages for campaign, but he鈥檚 going to have to play defence now because of what鈥檚 happened in Alberta and Jason Kenney,鈥� he said.
O鈥橳oole said he did not speak with Kenney before or after his announcement on Wednesday.
He also wouldn鈥檛 answer when asked whether he thought Alberta could have handled the recent rise of cases differently to avoid the current lockdown.
鈥淚 will work with all premiers, regardless of political stripe鈥� we need to fight together against COVID-19. And the fact that we're in an election鈥� because of Mr. Trudeau鈥檚 own political interest, shows that he's not going to put the health and economic needs of the country first,鈥� he said.
Kenney also announced Wednesday that they would be introducing a proof of vaccination program 鈥� something he had heavily critiqued before.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely going to have a negative impact on Erin O鈥橳oole and the campaign for the closing days of the campaign,鈥� Nanos said.
鈥淚t can鈥檛 be worse timing. Throughout the campaign, he鈥檚 been dogged by questions about his vaccination policy and not wanting to force Canadians to get vaccinated, and now we have a former cabinet colleague of his leading the province of Alberta and having to back pedal on his position on vaccinations and also vaccine passports.鈥�
Speaking on the campaign trail in Montreal on Thursday, Trudeau said while he鈥檚 not in the position to judge Alberta鈥檚 approach to containing the spread of COVID-19, the crisis there is proof that 鈥渓eadership matters.鈥�
The Liberal leader called the situation 鈥渉eartbreaking鈥� and said he has spoken with the Clerk of the Privy Council to ensure the province鈥檚 needs are met as it battles the fourth wave.
鈥淰entilators are on the way. Anything more we can do whether it鈥檚 sending more medical professionals as we did in Ontario a few months ago when they were overwhelmed, we鈥檙e going to make sure Albertans get the support,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 think what Canadians see in this is leadership matters at whatever level, the choices we make on who to elect to lead the government through a time of crisis鈥ictates how we鈥檙e going to do.鈥�
Trudeau said he understands the concerns Canadians may have that 鈥淐onservative politicians across this country haven鈥檛 been as effective in fighting this pandemic.鈥�
鈥淭he question I have then for people is 鈥榙o you really want Erin O鈥橳oole to be sitting across from them at the premiers鈥� table, talking about how we end this pandemic when he himself can鈥檛 stand up to the anti-vaxxers in his own party?鈥欌�� he said.
Liberal candidate Chrystia Freeland echoed a similar sentiment later in the day in Edmonton, suggesting that O鈥橳oole wouldn鈥檛 implement vaccine passports.
鈥淥鈥橳oole is not prepared to stand up to that minority and it is a small minority, and it is bullying and it is aggressive and they are not willing to do the right thing to end COVID鈥e will not even require that all of his candidates be vaccinated,鈥� she said
Singh said Kenney 鈥渄id not show leadership鈥� with regards to the pandemic and that an NDP government would consider all tools available at the federal level to end the fourth wave.
He then pivoted and placed blame on Trudeau for calling an election during the COVID-19 crisis.
鈥淢r. Trudeau called an election in the midst of a fourth wave, an election that did not need to happen,鈥� Singh said, speaking to reporters in Toronto.
During a public health briefing on COVID-19, Canada鈥檚 Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said that in certain circumstances, vaccination campaigns won鈥檛 have a quick enough impact to cut down on COVID-19 spread and as such, other safety measures are required.
Tam pointed to masking indoors, physical distancing, and reducing immediate contacts as steps that can be taken right now to prevent an already bad situation from getting worse.
鈥淰accines won鈥檛 be fast enough, you鈥檝e got to add additional measures,鈥� she said.
With a file from 麻豆影视鈥� Edmonton staff and CTVNews.ca's Alexandra Mae Jones
