The Government of Canada is protecting the health and safety of all Canadians while ensuring a safe and sustainable economic recovery. This includes taking steps to ensure that Canadians can access a COVID-19 vaccine once one is approved and that the healthcare system has the tools required for effective deployment.

Our Government has announced an agreement with AstraZeneca to procure up to 20 million doses of its COVID‑19 vaccine candidate and we are committing approximately $220 million to the Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) to procure up to 15 million vaccine doses for Canadians.

To date, our government has now secured access to a total of at least 174-million doses across 12 different vaccine candidates, which will ensure that once if and when vaccines are proven, safe and reliable, Canadians will be able to receive them.
In addition, to get the vaccines out to Canadians once they’re ready, the Government has made further investments in our capacity for vaccine distribution including syringes, vials, and swabs.

The Government will continue to explore and pursue all promising options to ensure the supply of potential vaccines and to protect Canadians. Vaccines will only be delivered once clinical trials have been completed, and if Health Canada grants approval following their review to determine if the vaccines meet our standards for safety and efficacy.

QUOTES:
“We’re positioning ourselves so that when a vaccine is available, Canada will be ready. We have a comprehensive plan which puts the health and safety of Canadians first, as always. That will always be our Governments first priority and will ensure that residents in Brampton South and those across the country get access to a vaccine once approved by Health Canada.” - Sonia Sidhu, Member of Parliament for Brampton South

“The best way to end this pandemic, and to keep Canadians healthy, is with a safe and effective vaccine. By investing in multiple vaccine candidates and ensuring that we can distribute one quickly from coast to coast to coast, we are taking the necessary steps to put Canadians on the path to recovery from COVID-19.” -The Right Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada.

“The Government of Canada continues to work diligently to protect the health and safety of Canadians during the pandemic. With today’s announcement, we have agreements in place that guarantee Canada access to multiple vaccine candidates of various types including viral vector, protein subunit, and mRNA. The diversity of our portfolio ensures that when these vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective, Canadians will have access to them.” -The Hon. Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement.