Question Period Note: Global COVID-19 Efforts

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Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has engaged with international partners bilaterally and multilaterally, through the G7, the G20, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to help inform our domestic response and to contribute to global efforts on fighting COVID-19.
Key Messages
• Canada has committed more than $2.9 billion to the global fight against the virus.
• As part of our commitment to COVAX, so far, we have donated the equivalent of more than 196 million doses, including at least 41.5 million doses deemed surplus from Canada's domestic supply. As of December 15, 2022, over 25 million of the doses Canada has donated to COVAX have been delivered to countries, and more than 3.7 million doses have been donated directly to countries through bilateral agreements.
• Canada has provided $50 million CAD to the Pan American Health Organization to support efforts to facilitate access to COVID-19 vaccines for those living in situations of vulnerability across the Caribbean and Latin America. Portions of this grant are being used to procure vaccine doses for countries through the Organization, which are in addition to Canada’s commitment to COVAX.
• In November 2022, Canada announced $15 million CAD to PAHO for Improving Manufacturing Capacities for Vaccines in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of a larger CanGIVE funding envelope. On 13 January 2023, the Minister of International Development announced $45 million CAD for “Improving Equitable Access and Vaccination Coverage Against COVID-19” in Kingston, Jamaica.

If Pressed – Development of a Pandemic Instrument Under the WHO
• Protecting the health and safety of all Canadians is the Government of Canada’s top priority.
• COVID-19 has demonstrated the need to take bold action to ensure we are better prepared for the next pandemic. Canada is working closely with international partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the broader global community to strengthen global health security.
• With respect to global health threats that cross borders, such as pandemics, we can best advance and protect Canadian interests through effective rules-based international systems, which require international instruments and cooperation.
• Canada supports the development of a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument to improve multilateral cooperation on pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
• Canada’s view is that a pandemic instrument will be helpful to enhance collective action and accountability, as well as address gaps in global pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
• Development of the pandemic instrument is still at an early stage. It is too soon to predict the exact provisions of the instrument and how they might be implemented in Canada.
• The Government of Canada has informed provinces and territories, Indigenous organizations, and other partners and stakeholders of the work underway, including opportunities to engage directly with the WHO.
• The Government of Canada is also planning a hybrid partner and stakeholder forum on March 21 and 22 in Ottawa to inform Canada’s views and positions.
If Pressed – Amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005)
• Protecting the health and safety of all Canadians is the Government of Canada’s top priority.
• The International Health Regulations are important as they help keep Canadians healthy and safe through commitments and obligations that require countries to work together in a global health emergency, like the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Canada agrees that we need to take action to strengthen the International Health Regulations based on lessons learned from COVID-19 and previous health emergencies.
• We are working with key federal, provincial, and territorial stakeholders, as well as international partners to develop a common understanding of amendment proposals and shared goals.
• Negotiations are at a very early stage and will continue until the end of the year.

Canada has participated in various multilateral and bilateral discussions at the WHO, G7, G20, and other tables on ways to finish the fight against COVID-19 and strengthen our collective capacities to prevent, prepare and respond to future health emergencies.

On January 10, 2023, the Prime Minister attended the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico City along with U.S. President Joseph Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The three leaders committed to strengthen regional prevention, preparedness and response to future health crises by revising the North American Plan for Animal and Pandemic Influenza (NAPAPI). The revised NAPAPI will use a flexible and cross-sectoral framework to strengthen North America's coordination in responding to health security threats. Canada and the U.S. continue to advance the health commitments outlined in the February 2021 Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership, including supporting global affordable access to and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, and providing strong support for multilateral institutions, including the WHO and UN development agencies.

Ministerial-level discussions have also contributed to enhancing bilateral relationships with key partners such as the US and the EU.

Japan has assumed the Presidency of the G7 for 2023 and has identified three key priorities for its Presidency: (1) developing and strengthening global health architecture for public health emergencies, with a particular focus on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response and the need for joint health and finance to enhance cooperation; (2) contributing to achieving a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable universal health coverage; and (3) promoting health innovation to address various health challenges, with particular mention of facilitating innovation in support of equitable access. The G7 Health Ministers’ Meeting is scheduled to take place May 13-14 in Nagasaki, Japan. The Leaders’ Summit is scheduled to take place on May 19-21 in Hiroshima, Japan.

Under its Presidency, Japan will seek to ensure continuity of G7 work from previous years, as well as the implementation of measures previously adopted by the group.

India assumed the G20 Presidency for 2023 on December 1, 2022, with the theme of One Earth, One Family, One Future. Canada will work closely with its G20 partners to support the objectives of the Presidency. India has proposed three priorities for the Health Track: (1) Prevention, preparedness, and response for health emergencies; (2) Strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector with a focus on availability and access to safe, effective, and affordable medical countermeasures; and (3) Digital health innovation and solutions to aid universal health coverage and improve healthcare service delivery. The G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting is scheduled to take place on August 19, followed by the Joint Finance-Health Ministers’ Meeting on August 20 in Gandhinagar, India. The Leaders’ Summit is scheduled to take place September 9-10 in Delhi, India.
In addition, senior and technical staff of the Health Portfolio have engaged with their counterparts in a variety of fora, both bilaterally and multilaterally, including from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Global Health Security Initiative, the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, to exchange information and best practices that have informed and enhanced Canada’s response to COVID-19.

75th World Health Assembly and Amendments to the International Health Regulations
The 75th World Health Assembly (WHA) was held May 22 to 28, 2022. Minister Duclos was head of Canada’s delegation and had a strong bilateral program with counterparts as well as meeting with the Director General (DG) of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who was re-elected to a second five-year term as DG.
WHO sustainable financing, the ongoing pandemic, and strengthening WHO preparedness and response have also emerged as key themes. This included decisions to start a forward process to negotiate amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) and adopt an amendment to the regulations that reduces the time, from 24 months to 12, for these future amendments to enter into force. This will help make the instrument more agile, and ensure that future amendments that we agree to are implemented without delay.
In Canada’s view, amendments should be limited in scope and should address specific issues, challenges or gaps that are critical to supporting IHR implementation and compliance that cannot be effectively addressed otherwise.
The 76th WHA will be held in Geneva from May 21 to 30, 2023. Preparations for Canada’s delegation will begin following the WHO Executive Board meeting (January 30 to February 7, 2023).
Development of a Pandemic Instrument under the WHO
In light of gaps revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and in response to numerous expert reviews recommending improvements to the global health security architecture, Member States of the WHO are developing a new, international instrument to strengthen global pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and health systems recovery. Canada has been supportive of this process, as a stronger and better coordinated global health security architecture for disease outbreaks is essential to securing the health and safety of Canadians.
The first Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) meetings established a process to develop the pandemic instrument, including timelines, milestones and modalities for stakeholder engagement. During the second meeting of the INB, Member States reached a consensus identifying Article 19 of the WHO Constitution (legally binding treaty/convention/agreement), without excluding Article 21 (binding regulations), as the appropriate mechanism for a new pandemic instrument. A zero draft of the instrument was circulated to Member States in early February 2023. This formed the basis for the start of negotiations at the fourth meeting of the INB (February 27-March 3). Member States will submit a progress report to the 76th World Health Assembly in May 2023, and a final outcome to the 77th World Health Assembly in May 2024.

• Since February 2020, Canada has participated in regular G7 Health Ministerial calls to discuss COVID-19, which has contributed to enhancing bilateral relationships with key countries such as the U.S.
• Canada and Member States are engaged in the process of developing a new international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and health systems recovery under the WHO. Formal negotiations are underway as of February 2023 and are set to conclude by May 2024.
• Canada and Member States are engaged in a process to strengthen and modernize the International Health Regulations (2005) based on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and other health emergencies. Formal negotiations began in February 2023 and a package of amendments is expected to be considered by the 77th World Health Assembly in May 2024.