Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'd like to thank the clerk and the committee staff for putting this meeting together so quickly, and also to all of the members of this committee.
I'll be brief, as I understand that we want to go to the motion and that the minister is prepared to answer questions.
I'd like to thank Minister Ng for her responsiveness in coming to this committee. I think it's pertinent and very timely that we hear from the minister on what Canada is doing regarding the COVID-19 vaccine export control measures put in place by the European Union on Friday. As I understand it, Canada was not explicitly listed as a country that is exempt from these measures, unlike nearly 120 other countries. We also can't forget that our approved Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are shipped from Belgium and Spain respectively.
I hope to see all members of our committee support this motion due to the importance of this issue. Therefore, I move:
That, given the announced Transparency and Authorisation Mechanism for exports of COVID-19 vaccines by the European Union, the committee invite the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade and her officials to appear before the Committee for no less than two hours regarding matters related to the European Union’s export controls and its potential impacts on Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy, and that this meeting occur no later than February 10, 2021.