Mr. Speaker, I was watching a CTV panel of journalists, I believe it was in February, and the host asked one of the journalists if they thought it was a strategic error that the government did not do more to ramp up domestic manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccines on either the mRNA or viral vector-based platforms. The answer from the journalist was very simple. They said, “Yes, absolutely.” However, that is water under the bridge, and here we are.
I think all parliamentarians would share my concern that we do not have an adequate vaccine supply in Canada right now. The government can put forward all sorts of talking points, but the reality is that we do not have adequate supply at this moment, so we have to ask how we can move forward. There was news today that the latest shipment of Moderna is once again delayed, and it may be delayed again next week. That vaccine is very important, being an mRNA vaccine, given that the government has advised against giving the AstraZeneca vaccine to those under the age of 55. Supply is an issue.
Also, the Australians today said that they would not be using the AstraZeneca vaccine in their vaccination program against COVID, and the Americans just announced a pause on using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. At the same time, we have heard reports that the European Union is undertaking potential export restrictions on vaccines and India may consider the same.
Of course, countries around the world are all scrambling to find vaccines, and Canada does not have domestic manufacturing capacity at this moment, so it really becomes a question of how we shore up our ability to procure vaccines from other countries. The government has not been clear on how the confluence of all of these factors is going to affect Canadian supply in the coming weeks. That will really have deadly consequences if there is no clarity on that. The targets change from week to week. Moderna today is a perfect example of that.
The government has not been forthcoming on the question of assurances from our main export partners, and I have a few questions. Has the European Union provided written exemptions to Canada, as it has for other countries? I am talking about a written exemption, not an assurance over the phone, or a wink and a nod, that we would be exempt from export restrictions of vaccines. Has the government also obtained any sort of written assurance from the United States of potential additional doses of vaccines from that country? As well, has the government received written assurances from the Government of India?
I am looking for a very simple response. I hope the answer to all three questions is yes, but we certainly need some assurance, given that the government has not secured domestic manufacturing capacity, that we will be able to get those vaccines in a week's time.