Procurement of COVID-19 vaccines: Committee of the Whole—July 8, 2020
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Context
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is working with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Health Canada and Industry, Science and Economic Development Canada, along with the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force to prepare for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines and related supplies.
Suggested response
- The Government of Canada is committed to fighting COVID-19 through various strategies, including vaccination
- The government is developing a plan that will expand our ability to manufacture a vaccine here in Canada, as well as partnering with international vaccine developers to provide vaccines to Canadians
- The COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force is reviewing potential candidate vaccines and we are closely monitoring what other nations are doing
- We have initiated discussions with international manufacturers with promising candidate vaccines
If pressed on advance purchase agreements:
- getting access to an effective vaccine is our top priority
- we will continue to support domestic manufacturing of the vaccines. When dealing with international candidates, we will look for ways to leverage Canada’s own manufacturing abilities
- we have already had early discussions with a number of international manufacturers and we will identify and pursue the most promising in order to secure access to these vaccines
If pressed on provincial and territorial collaboration:
- from the outset the Government of Canada has been working directly with provincial and territorial governments to ensure that we are considering their needs
- we are in regular contact with provincial and territorial counterparts to ensure that we are working cohesively and collaboratively, and that they are getting the support they need
If pressed on material shortages:
- the Government of Canada is purchasing supplies from a number of sources and countries, both internationally and domestically
- we have entered into contracts for materials such as syringes and needles to ensure sufficient supplies to support immunization clinics
- this is over and above the efforts provinces and territories are taking to secure their own supplies
If pressed on National Security Exception (NSE) contracting:
- the NSE is invoked to remove procurements from the obligations of Canada’s trade agreements for reasons of national security
- in the case of COVID-19, after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the pandemic, PHAC made a request on behalf of the federal government that PSPC invoke the NSE with respect to the acquisition of goods and services required in order to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic
- some of the procurements being carried out in response to COVID-19 are being done under a national security exception, meaning that many solicitation documents are not published on Buy and Sell. This allows us to move rapidly as we purchase goods and services to protect the health and safety of Canadians as we face this pandemic
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