Operation Laser

Long-term care homes were impacted heavily by the pandemic; Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Theresa Tam reported on April 13, 2020 that at least half of COVID-19 deaths in Canada had been linked to long-term care homes (with the exact number varying by province), and that "these deaths will continue to increase, even as the epidemic growth rate slows down.

[8] Health Canada issued recommendations for long-term care homes, encouraging them to restrict outside visitors and volunteers, restrict employees from being transferred between multiple facilities, provide personal protective equipment, enforce physical distancing during meals, screen staff and essential visitors, On April 15, Trudeau announced that the federal government planned to provide additional pay to long-term care workers.

[9][10] On April 17, the Department of National Defence (DND) agreed that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) could deploy in Quebec at long-term care facilities (LTCF).

"The Canadian military has stripped bases across the country of their uniformed medical personnel to support long-term care homes in Quebec that have been overrun by COVID-19."

The CAF stated that:[16] The risk to our personnel remains high due to the fact that we are often operating in high-risk COVID-19 threat environments and working in close proximity with persons who have either tested positive or are exhibiting COVID-19 related symptoms.On May 15, it came to light that soldiers from the 12e Régiment blindé du Canada were posted to the LTCFs around Montreal.

Independent food, transportation and laundry systems are made available to personnel to ensure the force is self-sufficient.LCol James Stocker, who commanded Territorial Battle Group 1, the rapid response unit which undertook the mission in Ontario's LTCFs under the 4th Canadian Division of Brigadier-General CJJ Mialkowski, said: "I think they are quite well prepared for the task."

In addition to "the guidelines laid down by the military's medical branch", the DND takes instructions from the Public Health Agency of Canada and provincial authorities on the personal protective equipment distributed to the soldiers.

"At the Vigi Mont Royal LTCF in Montreal, soldiers started out wearing N-95 masks but shifted to using full shields, visors and hoods when reports surfaced that the virus was being spread through the ventilation system."

[18] On 25 May, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence Anita Vandenbeld disclosed to the third sitting of the resumed 43rd Canadian Parliament that 36 soldiers from Operation Laser had been infected with COVID-19 disease.