Head of Canada's COVID-19 vaccine rollout leaves position pending military investigation

The officer in charge of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout has left his position pending the results of a military investigation.

The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces issued a joint statement on May 14 announcing that Major-General Dany Fortin had left his assignment with the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The succinct, three-line statement noted that Acting Chief of the Defence Staff, Lieutenant-General Eyre, will be “reviewing next steps” with Fortin.

“Given this investigation is ongoing, we will not be commenting further at this time,” a spokesperson for the department said.

The Public Health Agency of Canada declined to comment on Fortin’s departure, and directed all questions to the Department of National Defence.

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A former NATO commander, Fortin was appointed vice-president of logistics and operations at the Public Health Agency of Canada in November of 2020, a role which saw him lead the country’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts.

Fortin has become a familiar face in the months since, providing frequent public updates on vaccine distribution and procurement.

His last update came on May 13. As recently as Friday morning, he was still listed as being seconded to the health agency by the Department of Defence.

Daily Hive has contacted Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and will update this story accordingly.