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    • 'We're a careful country': Freeland contrasts Omicron responses of Canada, U.S.

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    Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland sought to make a clear delineation between the Canadian and American approach to fighting the fifth wave of COVID-19 on Wednesday.

    Speaking to reporters about Ottawa’s response to the recent surge of Omicron cases, Freeland was asked to explain why the White House is reassuring Americans that holiday gatherings are safe if vaccinated, and that the variant is not a cause for panic, while the Canadian government is urging people to stay home and reduce contacts.

    “I do want to sort of strongly push back against this notion that the federal government, and I would also say provincial governments too, that any of us are in any way offering a counsel of panic or a counsel of despair. That is totally not the case,†she said.

    “Quite the contrary, I think Canadians should be reassured that we are ready for this as a country….we’re a careful country, and I think that’s a really good thing.â€

    She and Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos also referenced Canada’s low mortality rate through the pandemic.

    “We have the second-lowest mortality rate in the G7. That’s really meaningful. We, by sticking together, by supporting each other, by being resilient, we have managed to save a lot of lives and we’ve kept our economy really intact,†she said.

    Duclos added that “in the United States, the death rate is three times what we have seen in Canada.â€

    Their statements come a day after U.S. President Joe Biden addressed Americans about what the White House is doing to improve vaccination and testing access and how Americans should navigate the holiday season.

    “I know some Americans are wondering if you can safely celebrate the holidays with your family and friends. The answer is, yes, you can — if you and those you celebrate with are vaccinated. Particularly if you've gotten your booster shot,†he said.

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, also present at the press conference on Wednesday, said he plans to adjust his own festivities.

    “There have been lots of conversations about not seeing friends, not gathering for New Years, not gathering outside immediate family for Christmas in our household like in a lot of households,†he said.

    A number of provinces have begun yet again to implement a host of capacity restrictions and gathering limitations in an attempt to slow the spread of the variant.

    Freeland also fielded questions about what lessons the government has learned from earlier waves of the pandemic, given that the reality faced by many Canadians today looks similar to that experienced a year ago.

    “I do not want, in any way, to minimize how hard things are right now, nor to minimize the fact that we are in for some even tougher times ahead…but I do think that it’s also really, really important for Canadians to be reassured by the progress we‘ve made in the 21 months we’ve been fighting COVID, and to be reassured by the fact that we have a lot of tools,†she said.

    She pointed to Canada’s high vaccination rate, stockpiles of rapid tests and more scheduled shipments to come, and an eventual supply of therapeutics, as some of those tools.

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