Evidence of meeting #15 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was vaccines.
A video is available from Parliament.
NDP
Vaccines Lead, Pfizer Canada
Yes, absolutely. No, they just needed to make sure they....
We need to keep in mind that when Canada started to receive vaccines, the priority of the public health agencies across all provinces was to deploy the vaccines locally. That said, at any time there was an opportunity for Canada to engage with us to ensure that there would be a realignment of doses to lower- or middle-income countries.
NDP
Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
If the Government of Canada bought those vaccines, why did we have to negotiate where those vaccines went? Why was it not possible for us to donate them as soon or as late as we wanted to? We had paid for those vaccines.
Vaccines Lead, Pfizer Canada
Yes, absolutely. I think it was more a question of ensuring that we understood where these vaccines would be going. We wanted to ensure, of course, that those countries had the capability to deploy the vaccines optimally. It was more a discussion in that regard than anything else.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sven Spengemann
Ms. McPherson, I apologize. We'll have to leave it there. You'll have a chance to go in the second round, which we will get to next.
Colleagues, given the schedule and the timing, we have time for a compressed second round. We have the capacity to go until 1:15, but I understand that not every member is able to. I want to be mindful of that consideration and also give every member a chance to ask at least one question.
At the end, I'm going to ask you briefly for a housekeeping motion, which I think will be unanimously approved, but I need to have that motion for the clerk to be able to move forward on one of our projects.
I would suggest two-minute rounds and very quick questions and answers across the six members who are currently listed in round two.
If that's amenable, Mr. Aboultaif, would you lead us off for two minutes, please?
Conservative
Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB
I'm sorry that it's a short time, but I'm going to try my best.
Mr. Paquette, you have a tiered pricing policy, with three levels of pricing. Was this pricing policy universal among all countries, yes or no?
Vaccines Lead, Pfizer Canada
Yes, absolutely. It was established that way at the beginning of the process.
Conservative
Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB
If the price for a wealthier nation was equivalent to the cost of a takeaway meal, what would that be?
Vaccines Lead, Pfizer Canada
Well, it would depend on the cost of the meal in that country, but as you can see, I would say from what we've seen, generally speaking, that the cost of vaccines—
Conservative
Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB
If the pricing was universal, that means it should be equal among all wealthy countries, correct?
Vaccines Lead, Pfizer Canada
Depending on the country, they would be in tier one, tier two, or tier three pricing, so—
Conservative
Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB
In tier one, for example, shouldn't Canada and the United Kingdom pay the same price?
Vaccines Lead, Pfizer Canada
Well, not exactly the same price, but I would say it would be the same ballpark figure, as I don't have access to other countries' prices. That's what I understood is the case.
Conservative
Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB
Will you be able to provide to us what Canada has paid for tier one, two or three?
Vaccines Lead, Pfizer Canada
As a tier one country, Canada has paid a price in the range of tier one countries.
Vaccines Lead, Pfizer Canada
As you can realize here, there have been some confidentiality components in our agreement with the Government of Canada—
Vaccines Lead, Pfizer Canada
—and as such, I'm not allowed to disclose any prices.
Conservative
Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB
Ms. Combs, do you have the same policy as far as pricing and pricing tiers and all that goes?
President , AstraZeneca Canada
In Canada, right now, we do not have a contract for Vaxzevria with the Canadian government.
Conservative
Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB
Then how did you sell us the AstraZeneca? I'm an AstraZeneca-vaccinated person.
President , AstraZeneca Canada
At the time, at the height of the crisis, we did. The pricing was a no-profit pricing model.
Conservative
Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB
What was that price, given that you had no contract?