FACT CHECK: Did Justin Trudeau Call On Canadians To ‘Make Life Difficult’ For Unvaccinated Citizens In A Facebook Post?

An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows a Facebook post from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in which he asks the public to “make life difficult” for unvaccinated citizens.

Verdict: False

There is no record of Trudeau making this statement. A spokesperson for his office denied the alleged post was shared by the prime minister.

Fact Check:

The image allegedly shows a screenshot of a post from Trudeau’s verified Facebook account addressing the “Freedom Convoy” protest in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In the post, Trudeau appears to denounce the convoy while claiming he supports “unity and inclusion” before shifting his focus to unvaccinated citizens.

“If you have family or friends that still haven’t been vaccinated, do not allow them to family dinners, do not speak to them on the phone, do not reply to their texts,” Trudeau allegedly wrote. “You need to do everything you can to make life difficult for them until they comply.”

The image, however, is fabricated. There is no record of the message on Trudeau’s verified Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts. Archived versions of the prime minister’s Facebook and Twitter from Jan. 31, the day the alleged screenshot was shared, show he made no such statement that day. Check Your Fact likewise found no credible news reports that attributed such a post to the prime minister.

“I can confirm that no, this is not our post,” said a spokesperson for the prime minister’s office in an email to Check Your Fact. (RELATED: Did Morgan Freeman Say, ‘Stop Taking Tests And Live Your Life’?)

Trudeau did say in January 2022 that Canadians were “frustrated” and “angry” with unvaccinated citizens who refuse to receive the COVID-19 vaccine despite a surge in cases, CBC reported. “When people see that we are in lockdowns or serious public health restrictions right now because of the risk posed to all of us by unvaccinated people, people get angry,” Trudeau said according to the outlet.

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