Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing backlash over his absence at the country's first-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and expressed his apologies after his announcement of the deadline of the vaccine mandate for workers.

The official's statements mean that air and rail passengers have until the end of October while federal government workers have until Oct. 29 to get vaccinated. The latter includes members of the military and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Trudeau said that his government was able to tackle various issues regarding the coronavirus but noted that the nation's fight against the disease was not yet over. The prime minister added that public servants who have not yet received the coronavirus vaccine shots and have no verified medical exemption be forced into unpaid leave starting on Nov. 15.

The Canadian federal government released an estimate that more than 240,000 staff, which account for about 80% of its population of civilian workers numbered at about 300,450 have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease. They also revealed that about 95,000 regular and reserve members of the military have received full vaccinations while the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has successfully fully vaccinated 19,000 personnel, the New York Times reported.

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In tandem with his announcements, Trudeau also apologized for his failure to attend the country's first-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. On Wednesday, the prime minister expressed his regrets about going on a family trip on Sept. 30 which caused him to miss the event.

Trudeau said that it was a mistake for him to travel with his family on that specific day because the date marked an important moment for the country and its people. It was meant to allow residents to reflect not just on the past but on the present as well.

"It was a mistake to travel on that day. This is an important moment for Canada and for Canadians to reflect not just on the past but on the present. I was in error to choose to travel on that day, and I apologized directly to Chief (Rosanne) Casimir for not having attended the event that she invited me to," said the prime minister, 660News reported.

Vaccine Mandates

Trudeau's vaccine mandate announcement means that everyone aged 12 years and older will need to provide proof of vaccination starting Oct. 30 to be allowed to travel from Canadian airports, on VIA Rail, and Rocky Mountaineer trains. Marine passengers on non-essential passenger vessels will also be required to have proof that they are fully vaccinated to be allowed to travel.

Authorities noted that there would be a short "transition period" that is set to end on Nov. 30 that gives travelers the opportunity to travel if they provide a valid negative COVID-19 test taken in the last 72 hours if they are in the process of getting vaccinated. But after the deadline, they will no longer be allowed to board trains or planes unless they are able to show proof that they are fully vaccinated against the disease, Yahoo News reported.

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