Commander leading Canada's COVID vaccine rollout leaves pending investigation

TORONTO (Reuters) - A top military commander tasked with Canada's COVID-19 vaccine rollout has unexpectedly left his assignment pending the results of a military investigation, a government statement said on Friday.

Major-General Dany Fortin was brought in by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government to lead Canada's vaccine distribution in November, describing the effort as the greatest mobilization effort the country has seen since World War Two.

The brief statement did not elaborate on the nature of the investigation. Acting Chief of the Defence Staff, Lieutenant-General Eyre will be reviewing next steps with Fortin, the statement added.

Fortin, who has decades of experience including in warzones, was a key fixture of the government's vaccine briefings and his team coordinated the logistical challenge of reaching vaccines to Canada's far-flung places.

Canada's vaccination campaign has picked up pace after a rocky start, with some 43.1% of the country's population receiving at least one dose.

(Reporting by Denny Thomas; Editing by Sam Holmes)