Madam Speaker, on behalf of all Canadians, I would like to thank India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for providing two million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses. A total of 500,000 doses are to be delivered, and the balance is expected in due course. This is what real friends do. During a crisis, they help each other.
India has also supplied vaccine doses for some needy countries for free or at a subsidized cost. This is practising an ancient Vedic saying of the sages. In Sanskrit it is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which means that the world is one big single family.
India is also offering technology transfer for commercial production of vaccines in Canada. These actions reconfirm the respect and affection Canada and India have for each other.