The prime minister says soldiers serving in Ontario long-term care facilities have made “extremely troubling” observations.
Justin Trudeau did not detail the observations during a news conference Tuesday but said the information has been shared with the Ontario government.
“As I’ve said many times, we need to do a better job of caring for the people who built this country. The greatest generation saw us through World War II. We need to be there to support them properly through this global crisis,” said Trudeau.
Canadian Armed Forces members have been providing assistance for the past few weeks in Ontario and Quebec, which have been hit hard by the pandemic.
Trudeau said new requests have been made to extend the deployments and they will be following up on those requests.
Meanwhile, the prime minister announced a new deal has been signed with an auto industry giant to produce personal protective equipment.
Trudeau said General Motors will produce 10 million face masks at its plant in Oshawa, Ont.
“As we speak, GM employees are already making these masks. They will keep people safe and help slow the spread of COVID-19,” he said. “For the auto workers in Oshawa, this contract will support good, well-paying jobs in an industry that’s faced tough times.”
Trudeau said it is a critical step forward as they work to boost production of personal protective equipment here at home.
He noted more than 40 flights carrying PPE have arrived in Canada over the past 10 weeks.
Trudeau also announced 10,000 more ventilators will be produced in Canada through a partnership between astrophysicist Arthur McDonald and Vexos.
This will bring the total of made-in-Canada ventilators to 40,000, he said.
