Trudeau says Alberta, Saskatchewan made ‘wrong choices’ during COVID-19 pandemic

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says the country is seeing the result of “wrong choices” that Alberta and Saskatchewan made during the pandemic as a resurgence of COVID-19 cases rampages through both provinces.

Both Alberta and Saskatchewan have seen dramatic rises in COVID-19 infections after reopening that have led to severe public health restrictions as hospitals and ICUs fill up.

“We’re seeing right now what the wrong choices made in Alberta and Saskatchewan have led to,” Trudeau told reporters during a campaign stop in Montreal on Sunday.

“We do not need a Conservative government that won’t be able to show the leadership on vaccinations and on science that we need to end this.”

Trudeau has sought to portray his political rival, the Conservative’s Erin O’Toole, as a leader who will “take Canada backwards” by rolling back greenhouse gas reduction targets and canceling child care deals, but he’s also targeted Green and NDP voters who might be otherwise convinced to vote strategically for his party.

Kicking off his final day on the campaign trail, Trudeau sought to draw comparisons between O’Toole and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, whose leadership is under review after a frustrating year that saw Albertans questioning his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic amid new restrictive measures.

Trudeau offered Albertans a choice of “whether they want Erin O’Toole to continue working with Jason Kenney on not ending this pandemic.”

“Or, do they want a liberal government that is going to stand up for the almost 75 or 80 per cent of Canadians, including a vast majority of Albertans, who have done the right thing?” Trudeau said.

More to come. 

–With files from the Canadian Press

by Global News