Mr. Speaker, the minister does not seem to understand that the variants are developing because of the low vaccination rate around the world.
Negotiations on the vaccine patent waiver for developing countries are at a standstill. We see that Canada's passiveness is contributing to putting entire populations at risk. It is turning these countries into potential sources of variants against their will, instead of letting them have vaccine manufacturing facilities that would increase worldwide vaccination rates.
Will the government commit to applying pressure internationally, at the WTO in particular, so that rich countries and their pharmaceutical companies will finally agree to this essential patent waiver?