Support a waiver under the TRIPS Agreement for vaccine equity

Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands)
2022-02-10 13:54

Mr. Speaker, I am enormously grateful. We seem to be debating in the House how we stop a pandemic as though the borders of Canada comprise the challenge. We are in a global situation where I think the virus is maybe laughing at all of humanity for thinking we can handle it, while leaving much of the developing world without access to vaccines.

When will the Government of Canada support the requests from India and South Africa to have a waiver under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, the so-called TRIPS agreement, so that developing countries have access to vaccines?

Francesco Sorbara (Vaughan—Woodbridge)
2022-02-10 13:55

Mr. Speaker, Canada has been at the table in providing funds, resources and vaccines as part of the facility to developing countries. Obviously, we will work in unison, as we always do, with the WTO and all our trading partners. That is who we are as a people and who we are as a country.