A frustrated and animated Doug Ford is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to ramp up pressure on Pfizer.
Canada will not receive any of the companies vaccine doses during the week of January 25.
Ford says that means Ontario will be 80,000 short of COVID-19 doses next week.
He calls the development “troubling” and a “massive concern”.
The premier says this is unacceptable noting smaller countries around the world are getting vaccines and a major power like Canada is being left out.
He doesn’t blame the federal government but stresses they must get more aggressive with Pfizer.
Ford says he would be camped outside and on the head of the company “like a blanket”.
“I would be on that phone call every single day. I would be up that guys ‘yin-yang’ so far with a fire cracker he wouldn’t know what hit him. I would not stop until we get these vaccines.”
Ford stresses the company has a facility six hours away from Toronto in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
“My American friends. Help us out. We need help once again as we did with the PPE. You have a new president. No more excuses. We need your support, and we look forward to your support. And that’s a direct message to President Biden. Help out your neighbour. You want us to all get along ‘hunky dory’, ‘kumbaya’, help us out. I’m asking you for help.”
Ford says he’s ready to expand their vaccination program to other parts of Ontario but can’t do so without more doses.
“My message to the federal government. Nothing else matters right now. Everyday we are giving out less vaccines than we have the capacity to administer, is a day we lose.”
Ford still hopes to meet a provincial goal to reach all long-term care homes in Ontario by their February 15 target.
