Red Cross to send 900 workers to Quebec care homes as military withdraws

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canadian Red Cross will send 900 people to work in Quebec’s long-term care homes until September.

The announcement comes as the military prepares to pull out of the homes, despite repeated requests from Premier Francois Legault to keep at least 1,000 Forces members there until the fall.

Trudeau said today that 150 Red Cross personnel would arrive before July 6, with the balance arriving by July 29.

They will remain at the homes until September 15, by which time thousands of workers hired by the province are expected to be trained and ready to take over the jobs.

Trudeau says a small number of Canadian Armed Forces personnel will remain at four of the care homes until the COVID-19 situation is stable, while 10 teams of seven will be ready to deploy in the case of an emergency.

More than 3,730 people have died of COVID-19 in Quebec’s care homes, which have long suffered from a lack of staff.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2020.

The Canadian Press