Good morning, colleagues, and welcome to meeting No. 19 x of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development.
Pursuant to the motion adopted on January 31, the committee is meeting this morning on its study of vaccine equity and intellectual property rights.
As always, interpretation is available through the globe icon at the bottom of your screen. Simply click on the icon to select a language. For members participating in person, keep in mind the Board of Internal Economy's guidelines for mask use and health protocols.
I would like to take the opportunity to remind all participants that screenshots and taking photos of your screen are not permitted.
Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name. When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly. When you are not speaking, your mic should be on mute. A reminder that all comments by members and witnesses should be addressed through the chair.
Colleagues, I would now like to welcome our witnesses for panel one, who are back before the committee, and to thank them for agreeing to return.
We have with us today from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Benjamin Juan Carlos Blanco Ferri, vice-minister, foreign trade and integration.
From Doctors Without Borders, we welcome Adam Houston, Medical Policy and Advocacy Officer and Dr. Jason Nickerson, Humanitarian Representative to Canada.
[Chair spoke in Spanish, interpreted as follows:]
Vice-Minister, welcome to the committee. You will have five minutes for your intervention.
[English]
Vice-Minister, we will now go to you for your opening remarks, please.