What Canada did was mostly through the work of the Ottawa Group that Canada has convened within the WTO. Much of the Ottawa Group's work was animated by the DG and a process that she engaged in called the “third way”, where she looked at some of the trade impediments with respect to our response to COVID-19.
With the Ottawa Group members, Canada has put forward a trade and health initiative that would facilitate trade in and the equitable distribution of medical goods, including vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and vaccine production inputs, and generally promote resilient and predictable supply chains. We have been working hard to try to get support within the WTO for this initiative.
It would address export restrictions, promote efficient customs procedures and temporarily remove or reduce tariffs on these medical goods and production inputs.