The federal government has designated March 11 as National Day of observance to commemorate COVID-19 victims.
In a statement on Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “One year after the World Health Organization officially declared COVID‑19 a pandemic, more than 22,000 Canadian families have lost a loved one, many people have lost their jobs and businesses, health care and front line workers have faced great risk and challenge, and all Canadians have made sacrifices to keep others safe and healthy.”
“Today, on the National Day of Observance for COVID-19, we honour every individual who lost their life to this disease, and we stand with the people they loved as they continue to cope with this unimaginable loss. Together, we also recognize all who have been impacted by the pandemic, and we reaffirm our commitment to work as Team Canada to beat this virus,” he added.
“But the pandemic isn’t over,” Trudeau warned, “and until all Canadians have access to a safe and effective vaccine, we all need to continue to follow public health advice.”
Thanking front line workers who have been “working tirelessly every single day to keep us safe and healthy”, he said “we owe these everyday heroes an immense debt of gratitude, and we will continue to offer the support they need.”
Looking forward to “better days”, the prime minister said, “we will come out of this pandemic a more resilient country in a stronger global community.”
As of Wednesday evening Canada had recorded a total of 896,739 and 22,335 deaths. There were 30,442 active cases and 843,962 Canadians had recovered from COVID-19.
