By Elishya Perera
MONTRÉAL, Québec (CWBN)_ Major-General Dany Fortin of Canadian Joint Operations Command, has been announced to be the Vice-President of Logistics and Operations at PHAC.
Fortin is a distinguished service member who had also commanded the NATO mission in Iraq between 2018 and 2019, will be expected undertake the mission of leading the logistical rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine across Canada once a viable vaccine candidate is made available.
The announcement was made yesterday (Nov 27), following criticism from the opposition over the Trudeau government’s uncertainty around the delivery and distribution of a vaccine.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Fortin will be working closely with public health officials “on logistics and delivery of this greatest mobilization effort Canada has seen since the Second World War.”
He added that Canada is well prepared for a large-scale vaccine rollout, asserting that the vaccine should reach everyone who wants it, regardless of where they live.
The Prime Minister added that the Canadian Armed Forces will also be assisting the government to meet challenges such as data sharing, cold storage requirement for a potential vaccine candidate, as well as dealing with the barriers of reaching indigenous and rural communities.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have played a role in Canada’s response to COVID-19.
Fortin’s former boss, Andrew Leslie, a retired Lieutenant-General who was the Canadian Army Commander when Fortin was the chief of staff of Canada’s Kandahar task force, said the country couldn’t be in better hands with Fortin leading the vaccine distribution.
However, Leslie commented that the government should have mobilised the military for its vaccine distribution months ago, adding that it’s not the fault of the Armed Forces. “I’m sure the Armed Forces will do the very best they can. And Dany’s going to do a great job.”
Fortin led several posts in Afghanistan and was a part of NATO and United Nations missions in Bosnia in the 1990s. He was commander of the NATO Mission in Iraq from November 2018 until late last year. Most recently, he served as chief of staff for the Canadian Joint Operations Command.
Leslie described Fortin as a “quietly tough and extraordinarily competent” individual.
“Doesn’t get flummoxed under pressure. He’s a combat veteran. He’s really good with people — not only uniformed people, but people writ large,” Leslie said of Fortin. “He can make the tough calls, but he’s a consensus builder.”
Edited by Chathushka Perera
