On Monday, after returning from his trip to the Americas Summit, PM Justin Trudeau announced that he has COVID yet again, despite being triple vaccinated, frequently masking, and showing no symptoms during his trip.

As expected, the Prime Minister dropped the usual script of ‘I’ve got COVID, but it’s mild. And that’s because I’m boosted. I’m boosted with a vaccine that doesn’t prevent transmission. Get your boosters!’ 

“I’ve tested positive for COVID-19,” Trudeau wrote on Twitter. “I’ll be following public health guidelines and isolating. I feel okay, but that’s because I got my shots. So, if you haven’t, get vaccinated — and if you can, get boosted. Let’s protect our healthcare system, each other, and ourselves.”

The last time Trudeau claimed he had COVID was during the Freedom Convoy demonstrations, in which he claimed he had COVID before fleeing the city to spend a week at his cottage just before the Convoy reached Ottawa. Funnily enough, this led to Canadians coining the #CowardOfTheCottage hashtag on Twitter, which inspired several songs.

While this is only speculation, one reason Trudeau may be claiming that he has COVID is to regroup and strategize after several Liberal MPs said that a majority of the caucus is against Trudeau on the unvaccinated travel ban.

Last week, speaking to The Hill on a not-for-attribution basis (this MP wanted their name protected), one Liberal MP said, “The massive majority of Liberal MPs want the mandates to end.”

“People are saying ‘What the hell, why are [unvaccinated] people not allowed to fly domestic, you know, like, at least let them fly domestic with masks on. You can go into a shopping mall with them; you can go into an elevator with them; you can go into a movie theatre with them.”

Liberal MP and medical doctor Marcus Powlowski shared the view that ending the mandates is long overdue.

“The need for mandates is certainly changed, and the calculus is not the same now as it was two months ago, three months, or six months ago. I would suggest that the vaccine requirements for being on planes and at workplaces at the moment, I don’t think the benefits of that mandate warrant the cost,” Powlowski said.

It’s still unclear how Trudeau will address open dissent within his party to prevent more showings of no-confidence in his decision-making.