Foreign Affairs Committee on March 21st, 2022

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

In fact, Mr. Ambassador, Canada has played a leadership role in bringing parties together on this very topic.

Can you perhaps walk us through what Canada has done over the last many months in order to advance discussions on an IP waiver?

[Stephen de Boer]

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.

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Ambassador.

To be clear, as you said, our government absolutely welcomes the progress that was made. We have always been in search of a multilateral solution to this issue.

Picking up on your last answer, you mentioned other medical goods. My understanding is that in addition to vaccines, we also need to provide developing countries with syringes, and other medical items in order to support their vaccination campaigns.

Can you speak to Canada's role in providing those additional materials?

[Stephen de Boer]

I'm working in the trade policy sphere, not in the procurement of goods, such as syringes.

Let me tell you, and perhaps all honourable members will recall this as well, that at the beginning of the pandemic we had issues as significant as trying to get masks, for example. The Ottawa Group and the trade and health initiative response was to try to address some of those problems. They tried to address export restrictions and increase transparency, so it would be easier to facilitate international trade in those vital but sometimes very simple goods.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sven Spengemann]

Thank you, Ms. Bendayan.

We'll have to leave it there.

It is now Mr. Bergeron's turn for two and a half minutes.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to follow up on the question about Medicago. My understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that the decision by the WHO is preliminary, not final.

What, then, is Canada doing in an effort to get the WHO to change its decision? On the face of it, the decision might appear to make perfect sense, since tobacco companies don't tend to manufacture products that are good for people's health.

However, how can a tobacco company be criticized for making a significant investment in something that has enormous benefits for global health?

[Joshua Tabah]

I'll go first, but my colleagues may have something to add.

Health Canada determined that Medicago's vaccine was safe and effective, and that's why a decision was made to use it domestically—a sign that it is an important vaccine for the world. I would also point out that the decision is quite recent and that talks with the WHO and its partners are ongoing.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

In your assessment, is there reason to hope that the WHO will ultimately change its mind?

[Joshua Tabah]

Forgive me, Mr. Bergeron, but I'm not the right person to make those types of predictions. My area of focus is international assistance for developing countries.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

I understand.

I'm almost out of time, and I wouldn't want to insult you by trying to get you to answer another question in so little time. We can pick up our discussion later.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sven Spengemann]

How thoughtful of you, Mr. Bergeron. Thank you.

We'll go to Ms. McPherson, for two and a half minutes.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The question I have is around COVAX. The understanding was that COVAX was intended to be used as a tool to make sure that vaccines were equitably distributed.

Mr. Tabah, do you believe that it undermines COVAX's ability to do its job, when other countries develop bilateral agreements with the vaccine producers and, in effect, take the vaccines that would be available, so COVAX can't do its job?

[Joshua Tabah]

COVAX's plan for procurement was sound. There were delays and export restrictions from key suppliers that created a significant gap in its procurement pipeline early last year, in the spring and early summer.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Did that gap exist because other countries, like Canada, made bilateral agreements to take those doses, so there weren't doses available?

[Joshua Tabah]

That's not the analysis that we have discussed with COVAX or other partners. It really was a significant reliance on production from the Serum Institute of India, and then a very significant third wave that affected that country, which led to export restrictions.

It is worth stepping back a bit and recognizing that, since the fall, COVAX has had access to the supply that it required. As such, it has been able to ensure that it can play the part that we hoped it would for developing countries and other members.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

I look at some of the profits that we're expecting Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna to make over the course of this pandemic. We've heard estimates in the range of around $65,000 a minute.

Considering that $8 billion of public money went into the development of vaccines, do you think it is appropriate that the pharmaceutical companies are in charge of the disbursement of life-saving vaccines?

[Joshua Tabah]

I'll take that one from the honourable member. All I can say is we are trying to ensure that COVAX has everything it needs to respond to the end-to-end requirements of developing country partners to reach those immunization targets.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

We're in a good situation, if there is another pandemic, to be able to get vaccines out more equitably. I think we can all agree that the vaccine response to COVID-19 was not strong.

Would you feel that we are well placed or in a better-placed situation for future pandemics?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sven Spengemann]

Give a very brief answer, please.

[Joshua Tabah]

On the one hand, we've developed mechanisms that we won't have to put in place from scratch next time, but very significant reforms to the international architecture remain, which multiple independent panels have called for. There is still work ahead of the global community to put in place some of those changes to ensure that something like this never happens again.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sven Spengemann]

We'll have to leave it there. Thanks very much, Ms. McPherson.

Next up is Mr. Chong, please, for five minutes.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to clarify several pieces of information. As I understand it, the Government of Canada signed contracts directly with the vaccine manufacturers to provide vaccines to Canadians for over 400 million doses. I understand that about 90% of adult Canadians are vaccinated with three doses. That means we've used approximately 90 million doses, and that we have over 300 million doses left under contract that are available to Canadians.

Canada pledged 200 million doses to the COVAX facility as part of our commitment. In the earlier testimony today, I think the witnesses mentioned, Mr. Chair, that Canada's donated $540 million to this program and the COVAX facility to date, which is the equivalent of 87 million doses. That's my understanding of what we've been told here.

To clarify, is the 87-million-dose equivalent what you see this $540 million grant as? Are there any actual vaccine doses in the 87-million-dose equivalent amount?

[Joshua Tabah]

Yes, that's the number of doses that we have agreed with COVAX and as G7 members—

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

No. I'm asking a very specific question. In the 87-million-dose equivalent, are there actual doses that Canada has contributed, or is it all an equivalent amount?