Honourable senators, I would like to recognize the progress being made in the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. To date, in Quebec, over 70% of the general population has received the first dose of the vaccine.

What’s more, one in five people is “adequately vaccinated.” According to the Institut national de santé publique du Québec, adequately vaccinated means you have received two doses of the vaccine or one dose if you have had a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.

As of Monday, June 28, all of Quebec will be in the green zone. That is great news. However, the case of the Montreal Canadiens coach who tested positive for COVID-19 even though he was adequately vaccinated should remind us to be careful, because we can still get COVID-19 even if we are vaccinated.

On the day before Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, knowing that the Habs are coming back to Montreal to play the match that will hopefully send them to the Stanley Cup finals, it is important to remember the following:

Demonstrations are permitted but wearing face covers and physical distancing are mandatory at all times.

I would also like to remind everyone of the public health guidelines that are already in place, namely washing your hands for 20 seconds. That is still vital for killing the virus.

One last thing about vaccination. According to the headline on the front page of this morning’s Le Devoir, only 55% of Montrealers aged 12 to 17 have received their first vaccine dose. The paper also reported that only one third of the youth in Parc-Extension, which is in our Prime Minister’s riding of Papineau, are vaccinated.

We need to take special care to ensure that disadvantaged neighbourhoods, where the proportion of newcomers is high, are not left behind, because the most vulnerable students are also the least vaccinated.

I hope our governments will work together to achieve the herd immunity we need to finally get rid of COVID-19.

With that, I wish you a healthy and happy Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day.