Canada's Freeland Defends Government's COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy Amid Firestorm

TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st December, 2020) Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland defended her government's COVID-19 vaccine procurement strategy amid fears and criticism that inoculation in Canada will begin months after close allies roll out their immunization programs.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touched off a firestorm last week after admitting that Canada lacks domestic vaccine production capability and that countries which have a viable vaccine candidate available will prioritize their citizens ahead of exports abroad.

"Canada has the most expansive portfolio of vaccines of any country in the world," Freeland told the House of Commons on Monday after presenting the Fall Economic Statement.

To date, the Canadian government has signed preliminary contracts with at least a dozen biotechnology companies to procure their COVID-19 vaccine, should it proceed to the production phase. However, critics say that these are only tenders, albeit non-refundable, and will leave Canada lagging behind countries, which either have domestic candidates or more tangible deals in place.

Beyond confusion around the anticipated time of the delivery - provincial leaders have said that that the Federal government has ordered 6 million coronavirus vaccine doses from Pfizer and Moderna, with deliveries expected between January and the end of March only to have federal officials refute these claims - the Trudeau government has faced criticism for the absence of a distribution plan.

Pundits have said that Canadians may turn their backs on Trudeau, who has survived multiple political scandals in recent years, if they see successful vaccination campaigns and loosened restrictions in the US and the UK, who reportedly will begin immunizing against the deadly disease in December.

As of Monday, Canadian authorities have reported over 375,000 coronavirus cases and more than 12,000 virus-related deaths. There are more than 63,835 active cases across Canada, according to the country's public health agency.