Canada’s road map to normalcy could include COVID-19 vaccine passports: Trudeau

OTTAWA (CityNews) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented a road map to normalcy on Tuesday, which he says is only possible if most Canadians are on board.

More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Trudeau says the light at the end of the tunnel is realistic if most Canadians get vaccinated.

“If case numbers are down and if over 75 per cent of people get vaccinated, we can have a summer that will be much better for everyone,” he said.

“We have more and more vaccines coming in, we’re going to be able to have enough doses that we can have that one-dose summer, which will set us up for a two-dose fall, which will be much, much better.”

WATCH: Experts raise concerns with vaccine passports (April 21)

Nearly 40 per cent of Canadians have received their first COVID-19 vaccine.

Most experts say that number must reach at least 75 per cent before things can get back to normal.

RELATED: Some universities say no to proof of vaccination requirement

And the prime minister says he’s considering a controversial way to get there: a COVID vaccine passport.

“Anything we can do to encourage people to get vaccinated is going to be important,” he said. “That’s where the idea of proof of vaccination for different services or better access is something to look at.”

A vaccine passport has already been introduced in countries like Denmark.

But many experts believe the idea may infringe on people’s privacy and leave behind others who aren’t able to get a vaccine.

WATCH: Are vaccine passports closer than we think? (May 3)

It’s something the prime minister says he’s considering.

“When it comes to the privacy aspects of proof of vaccinations, vaccinations aren’t just about protecting the individual. They’re about protecting all of society,” he said.

“It matters to know that Canadians are getting vaccinated and I think we should be able to walk the path of respecting someone’s privacy but also understanding whether or not someone vaccinated is something we should be able to make use of.”

Epidemiologist Cynthia Carr says Canada can learn a lot from other countries that are seeing successes.

“We should follow suit countries like Israel, the United Kingdom, that kept those layers of protection quite strictly in place while they very efficiently rolled out the vaccine program,” said Carr. “That’s where we see the significant de-escalation of cases.”

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