Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I'm always concerned when senior public servants like Madam Nemer don't have sufficient time to spend with parliamentary committees. I have more things I would like to discuss that involve her. It always seems poor form to do so after the person has left the meeting.
We have a well-known problem in the public in people becoming tired of the epidemic and therefore not behaving as their best selves or as best citizens. I think we have another problem and I would call that COVID complacency. We are now starting to hear, “Well, we're doing our best.” For me, that's very cold comfort for people in my riding who are still continuing to lose loved ones. I have a very tourism-dependent riding. It's very cold comfort to those employed in the tourism industry who are losing their jobs and losing their small businesses because we haven't made enough progress against COVID.
The question that I will ask is a question I would have asked Madam Nemer, had she still been here.
The task force advised the government on contracts with the major companies like Pfizer. In those contracts, I'm afraid we don't have the assurances that if there's a third wave or it requires a change of vaccines.... Those contracts, as we've seen with the EU, only specify best efforts from the companies. They're not actually contracts to provide certain amounts of vaccine by a certain date.
Maybe Professor Kobinger knows a bit more about this. I am concerned. Without being an alarmist, I'm concerned that things could still go very wrong here in terms of vaccine deliveries.
Professor Kobinger, can you comment on the issue of contracts and whether they are contracts for delivery?