‘Do the right thing’

Dear Editor:

Recently I was embarrassed to be a Canadian. When I heard that the Government of Canada was going to be taking 1.9 million doses of vaccine from the COVAX vaccine pool, I was shocked.

The COVAX vaccine pool was specifically designed to get vaccines into the arms of people living in the 92 poorest countries in the world. (COVAX’s goal is that 20% of population in those 92 countries will be vaccinated by the end of 2021. Compare that goal to the Government of Canada stating that all Canadians who wish to be vaccinated will be vaccinated by the end of September 2021.)

When I first heard that the government was investing $440 million in COVAX, I was pleased. Canada was providing assistance and support to the less fortunate. But then it was revealed that half the investment was so that Canada could take vaccines from the COVAX pool and use them in Canada.

Canada is both buying directly from the vaccine suppliers and taking vaccines from the COVAX pool. The 92 countries in the world for whom COVAX was designed, do not have the luxury of doing what the Government of Canada is doing. We are not playing fair. This is not the Canadian way. We should leave the 1.9 million doses in the COVAX pool so that countries with limited resources will be able to get vaccines.

I am prepared to wait a little longer for my vaccination, rather than take vaccine away from those in our world who are frequently overlooked and ignored. The Government of Canada must rescind its decision to take the 1.9 million doses. It is not too late for Canada to do the right thing.

Peter Bush, Fergus