International Trade Committee on Feb. 1st, 2021

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister, for being here.

Minister, I understand you've received assurances from your EU counterpart that Canada would not be affected by the COVID-19 vaccine export controls. Has there been an agreement signed in writing regarding this, and can you table this today?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Yes, I have received repeated assurances from my counterpart, as the Prime Minister has from the president, and they have been through telephone conversations.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Have you received any assurances that are binding or that might carry penalties if the European Union subjects Canada to export controls over the COVID-19 vaccine distribution?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

As I have said, I spoke to Commissioner Dombrovskis both before and after the measure was introduced. I have spoken to my counterpart in Belgium as well, and we have received repeated assurances that the mechanism that is in place will not affect the vaccine shipments that are coming to Canada.

However, we take this very seriously and will continue to work at it steadfastly.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Minister, you don't have anything in writing from any of the officials. You have only a verbal assurance. Is that what you're saying today?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

I have received multiple assurances myself, and through Minister Hajdu and from the Prime Minister, that vaccine shipments to Canada will not be affected by this mechanism.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

The executive vice-president and commissioner for trade for the EU stated, “This time-limited and targeted system covers only those COVID-19 vaccines that were agreed by Advanced Purchase Agreements with the EU.”

We don't see any statements that cover other countries, like Canada.

Can you table today information from the EU that advance purchase agreements, such as from Canada, are also included?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

The member rightly points out that the EU has specified in its regulation that it is mindful of the advance purchase agreements contracted and that it continues to respect them. I have been clear, as my colleagues have, that Canada expects that our shipments will not be delayed and will not be affected by this mechanism.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Minister, can you table these telephone conversations?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

I shared the readouts publicly as soon as they were completed, and they are available publicly already.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Is Canada being added to the list of exempted countries?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Countries like our other trading partners—the United States or Australia or the U.K.—are also not on the exemption list.

As I have said to the honourable member, I have received assurances, as has the Prime Minister, and we will continue to work on ensuring there are no delays to Canada's vaccine shipments.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Why would Canada not be on this list? Can you table information that outlines if Canada will be treated the same as countries that are on the exemption list?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

On the work that is being done by our missions on the ground by what I like to say are our the trade teams, Canada's trade teams, who are there to serve Canadians, they are working with their member state colleagues, as well as with the European Union and with the companies, to ensure that they are supported all the way along, so that they are meeting the requirements set out in this mechanism. We continue to do that work on the ground. I continue to do this work with my counterpart, as my government colleagues are doing as well.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

The other part is that companies seeking to ship vaccines outside of the EU bloc have to obtain prior authorization. Can you table any documentation of prior authorization allowing shipments of vaccines to Canada?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

I'm not sure I understand the question, but I think it is whether I can assure Canadians that the mechanism that the EU has put forward will not delay or impact Canadian vaccine shipments. There, the answer is yes, I have received assurances.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much.

We will go on to Mr. Dhaliwal.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, as you know, some of us have been elected for many terms, and I've been on the international trade committee almost every term. I can tell you, Ms. Ng, that you are one of the best to appear on very short notice, and I want to thank you for being accessible.

Minister Ng, it's my understanding that 1.1 million vaccine doses have been distributed across Canada to date, and that not only is Canada among the top five G20 nations for COVID-19 vaccinations, but we are also in the top two contributors to Covax to ensure equitable access to vaccines around the world. Even if no additional vaccines are approved by Health Canada, the Prime Minister recently announced that Canada is expected to receive two million doses of Moderna and four million doses of Pfizer by the end of March.

Could you please elaborate on that and on whether we expect to receive the six million doses within the next two months? Also, it's good to know from you for my constituents—and I would also like to thank you—that the shipments of vaccines will not be affected by this EU mechanism.

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

I want to thank the honourable member for that question. Being accessible and transparent and having the opportunity to speak directly to Canadians through this committee is absolutely important.

I very much appreciate the invitation that I received on this very important issue. I know how urgent this matter is for Canadians, and we are seized with it, which is why you heard me talk about how we are on top of it and we intend to stay on top of it, and how serious it is for me and for my colleagues and the Prime Minister to ensure that there is no disruption in the shipment of vaccines to Canada. Those are the reassurances that I have received directly from the executive vice-president, from Trade Commissioner Dombrovskis in the EU, but Minister of Health Hajdu has also received similar assurances from the commissioner of health in the EU, and the Prime Minister has as well, from the EU president.

The honourable member also talked about the number of vaccines and what we expect. We are expecting to be on track to receive the six million doses of vaccines from both Pfizer and Moderna. We expect that we will be able to vaccinate three million Canadians by the end of Q1 just with those vaccines that are approved right now.

As my colleagues have shared publicly before, Canada has procured a robust portfolio of vaccines for Canadians, and absolutely, we all agree—the EU and Canada—that COVID-19 has no borders and that we all need to work together to fight COVID-19 and to make sure that people around the world also have access to vaccines.

We're going to continue to work on this. We must continue to work on this. I want to assure you that it is absolutely my top priority to stay on top of this and to work on ensuring that the vaccines we get from the European Union are not disrupted through this mechanism and make their way here to Canada for Canadians.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Minister, what can Canada do to ensure that Canada's international supply chain remains resilient and operational in order to receive all those doses in the coming months?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Canada has been working on the resiliency of supply chains throughout this entire pandemic, right from day one. As I said in my speech, we did see countries put up export restrictions during this pandemic. We've been working steadfastly with our like-minded colleagues and trade ministers to ensure that open supply chains for critical medicines, including vaccines, remain barrier free. That work continues, and I'm pleased to lead Canada's Ottawa Group working with colleagues to do just that.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

The Prime Minister has also clearly said that anyone who wants to have the vaccine will receive those doses by the end of September.

Are we still on schedule?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Yes, we are. We are confident that Canadians who wish to have a vaccine will be vaccinated. It will be free, and it will be done by the end of September.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

We'll move on to Mr. Savard-Tremblay.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Madam Chair, thank you for giving me the floor.

Good morning, Madam Minister. Thank you for being here. Hello to my colleagues also.

Let's come back to the issue of vaccines. As everyone knows, no vaccine was received last week, and no further deliveries are planned either. The Pfizer plant in Europe has been experiencing problems, but we could not turn to the Pfizer plant in the U.S. because the former U.S. Trump administration passed an executive order for priority distribution of these vaccines to Americans.

Now there is a new President of the United States. His first call as president was to the Prime Minister of Canada to announce, among other things, that the Buy American Act would be strengthened and that there would be no Keystone XL oil pipeline. For the Prime Minister of Canada, these are two failures.

To your knowledge, has there been any discussion in this negotiation of requiring, in exchange, as a minimum, an exception in the supply of vaccines, at least during the short period when Europe will not be able to supply Canada?

Thank you in advance for your response.