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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 45

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 24, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 45 - Mar/24/22
Mr. Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, BQ)
  • Mar/24/22 11:14:21 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister of Health for his presentation on everything the government has done to manage the crisis. One thing he did not mention, which I would have liked to hear, is his justification for Canada's vote at the WTO against temporarily waiving patents. This proposal came from India and South Africa, two countries that were the source of variants of concern. To call this a global crisis means that what happens in one country will automatically impact other countries. However, if we leave the distribution of vaccines and medications solely and blindly in the hands of the market, what will happen is that only the rich countries will be able to procure doses. Meanwhile, vaccines and medications will be treated as business opportunities rather than shared resources to be used to address this global health crisis. When the question comes up again, will Canada continue to treat vaccines as a source of profit for big pharma, or will it actually do the one thing that will get us out of this crisis? Let me remind the House that while we are here talking about administering a fourth dose, there are billions of people around the world who have not yet had access to their first.
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Context: House Hansard - 45 - Mar/24/22
Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni, NDP)
  • Mar/24/22 3:59:55 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I really enjoyed listening to my colleague's speech and his expertise on this. I do appreciate that my colleague also supports and agrees that COVID-19 vaccines do provide strong protection against severe illness, hospitalization and deaths. Does my colleague agree Canada should support the TRIPS waiver at the WTO to expand global vaccine production, especially for middle and lower-income countries?
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Context: House Hansard - 45 - Mar/24/22
Ms. Lisa Marie Barron (Nanaimo—Ladysmith, NDP)
  • Mar/24/22 4:59:54 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I agree with the member's comment around our understanding of COVID-19 continuing to evolve. We know that this is a global pandemic, and until we increase access to vaccinations around the world, we will continue to see new variants right here at home. Does the member agree that Canada needs to support the TRIPS waiver at the WTO to expand global vaccine production, particularly for middle- and low-income countries?
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