On April 26-28, 2023, posts about Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, discussing his attitude towards vaccination were disseminated on social media. The posts mention that according to Prime Minister Trudeau, he was not forcing anyone to get vaccines, as it was merely an experiment. In addition, the posts claim that Trudeau has not been vaccinated.
The disseminated information that Justin Trudeau called vaccination an experiment and said he is not vaccinated is false. In a meeting with students at the University of Ottawa, the Prime Minister of Canada spoke about the importance of vaccination against Covid-19, noting that he called on Canadians to get vaccinated during the pandemic in order to save as many lives as possible. Footage of Justin Trudeau’s vaccination is also available in the media.
On April 23, 2023, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Canada. On April 24, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German President Steinmeier held a meeting with students at the University of Ottawa, where they discussed many different issues, including democracy, trade and green technologies. It was during this meeting that Trudeau touched upon the topic of vaccination.
From minute 25:26 of the full video, Trudeau talks about the spread of false information. The Prime Minister said that people have the right to make choices, but he made a distinction between people who choose not to get the vaccine for personal reasons and those who deliberately spread fake news to mislead people with the so-called facts that are not facts at all and thereby endanger the lives of others. According to Trudeau, there are likely side effects, and there are people who have gotten sick from vaccinations among the billions of people who have been vaccinated, but many more have died because they were not vaccinated against Covid-19.
The Prime Minister of Canada did not mention that the vaccination was an experiment, nor did he say that he himself has not been vaccinated. According to Trudeau, his responsibility was to save as many Canadians’ lives as possible, and vaccination was the best way to do that. That is why, according to him, he did not force anyone to get vaccinated, although he tried to convince citizens and encourage them to get the vaccine.
Notably, the Prime Minister of Canada has been vaccinated against Covid-19. He has been vaccinated with two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and has also received a booster shot. Footage showing Justin Trudeau’s vaccination was also distributed in the media:
Justin Trudeau vaccination footage. Source: Reuters
About the Source
Facebook user Koba Jakobia, who has amplified disinformation about Justin Trudeau’s announcement, is a regular spreader of false information. Fake news and conspiracies published by the user have been debunked by “Myth Detector” a number of times in the past.
Tamar Bibichadze
Myth Detector Laboratory
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