The Prime Minister put all the vaccine “eggs” in a Chinese basket, he didn’t consider other options: O’Toole

OTTAWA – Conservative leader Erin O’Toole accused the liberal government on Sunday of putting too much emphasis on partnering with a Chinese company for a COVID-19 vaccine in what turned out to be a failed deal.

O’Toole said Trudeau’s government only turned its attention to pre-ordering tens of millions of vaccine doses from companies like Pfizer and Moderna in August, when its collaboration between the National Research Council and the Chinese vaccine manufacturer CanSino has finally collapsed after months of delays. .

The Council had granted CanSino a license to use a Canadian organic product as part of a COVID-19 vaccine. CanSino was supposed to provide vaccine samples for clinical trials at the Canadian Center for Vaccinology at Dalhousie University, but the Chinese government has blocked shipments.

“I wouldn’t have put all of our eggs in China’s basket,” O’Toole said at a morning press conference.

“If you look at the timeline, that’s when Canada started getting serious with Pfizer, Moderna, the other options,” he added, saying he was concerned that “the Trudeau government was willing to almost double the partnership with China.” at the beginning of the pandemic.

The government announced its major vaccine purchases in August after confirming the CanSino partnership had failed. At the time, he said his decision came after careful consultations with his vaccine task force from health experts.

CanSino’s partnership with Dalhousie preceded the deep freeze in Canada-China relations that occurred after the People’s Republic imprisoned two Canadian men, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, in apparent retaliation for the RCMP’s arrest of the Chinese high-tech executive Meng Wanzhou nearly two years ago on an American extradition warrant.

Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau created a firestorm when he said Canadians will have to wait a while to be vaccinated for COVID-19 because the first doses off the production lines will be used in the countries where they are produced. .

As questions increased about the CanSino deal, Trudeau continued to defend his government’s vaccine procurement policy, which he says has secured more options for the country. Trudeau also appointed a Canadian military general to lead the logistics of a possible vaccine launch with Canada’s Public Health Agency.

The president of American vaccine maker Moderna told CBC on Sunday that Canada is close to the front line to receive 20 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine it has pre-ordered.

Noubar Afeyan was asked on CBC’s Rosemary Barton Live whether Canada’s pledging to pre-purchase her doses sooner than other jurisdictions means she’ll get her supply first. Afeyan confirmed that this was the case.

“People who are willing to relocate soon with even less evidence of effectiveness have ensured the amount of offer they were willing to sign,” he said.

O’Toole said Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is ready to deliver the government’s long-awaited fiscal update on Monday, Liberals must do two things to spur economic recovery: offer a better plan on how vaccines will be introduced for Canadians. and intensify the deployment of rapid tests.

“There cannot be a complete economy, a growing economy, people who work, people who are productive without the tools to keep this going in a pandemic. These two tools are rapid tests and a vaccine. “

Freeland’s autumn economic statement is expected to provide a comprehensive account of the government’s record spending on programs to combat the pandemic. In July, the deficit was projected to be a record $ 343.2 billion, but some estimates say it could easily exceed $ 400 billion.

The government could announce new spending such as taking steps towards a national childcare system and relief for battered industries like travel and restaurants that will face a tough struggle to recover from the pandemic.

NDP financial critic Peter Julien sent Freeland a three-page letter urging her to take action on a variety of fronts to help Canadian families in need during the pandemic.

They included taking concrete action to establish a National Pharmacotherapy Plan to help Canadians pay for rising prescription drug costs and establishing a National Day Care Strategy to help women who have been hindered. disproportionately from the pandemic. Julien also urged Freeland to help indigenous communities and abandon government plans to pay for the Trans-Mountain Pipeline and step up its fight against climate change.

Green party leader Annamie Paul called on Freeland to provide “a positive vision for a green recovery” to accelerate Canada’s transition to a zero-carbon economy.

“We are optimistic that a COVID-19 vaccine will be widely available next year and so we need to be prepared for what comes next,” Paul said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 29, 2020.