Trudeau bats away WHO questions, says Canada focused on fighting coronavirus
Posted April 15, 2020 12:01 pm.
Last Updated April 15, 2020 12:31 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau isn’t about to be drawn into the international debate about the World Health Organization’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
Trudeau is batting away questions about President Donald Trump’s plan to halt funding to the UN agency and review what he describes as its failure to properly assess the scope of the threat posed by the novel coronavirus back in January.
The prime minister says the federal government will continue to focus on working with experts in Canada and around the world in battling the virus.
In the U.S., which has been hit hardest by COVID-19 and is the WHO’s single largest financial supporter, Trump is accusing the UN agency of botching its initial response to the outbreak and covering up the extent of the threat as it emerged from China.
Trump says pending a review, the U.S. will halt funding for the WHO, which depends on the country for nearly a quarter of its annual global assessments, along with voluntary contributions that fluctuate from year to year.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has also raised red flags about the organization’s handling of the crisis, the accuracy of its data and the extent of its ties to China, where the outbreak originated in December.
