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e-2386 (Health)
Original language of petition: English
Petition to the Government of Canada
- There is no compensation or indemnity for those Canadians or visitors who are injured or die when receiving a vaccine while in Canada;
- Adverse effects include short and long-term disability, ranging from moderate to severe, that limits the ability to work and impinge on the individual's quality of life;
- Canada does not have a national vaccine injury compensation program (only Québec has a provincial scheme);
- This kind of protection is provided around the world by other countries, and, more specifically, 18 G20 countries have their own vaccine compensation programs, and the only two member countries that do not are Canada and Russia; and
- A just resolution to this issue would be the creation of a (retroactive) vaccine injury compensation program to compensate and ease the burden created by injuries or death suffered as a result of the administration of any and all vaccines sold or bought for use in Canada.
Response by the Minister of Health
Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Darren Fisher
In Canada, vaccination is a shared responsibility among the federal, provincial, and territorial governments. Although vaccine recommendations are made at the federal level, the primary responsibility for matters related to the administration and delivery of health care services, including vaccination programs and policies, falls within provincial/territorial jurisdiction.
As such, the decision to offer a vaccine injury compensation program lies within provincial and territorial jurisdiction. The province of Quebec is currently the only province that has a vaccine injury compensation program in place.
Vaccines remain a very important public health measure that help to prevent disease and disability. The Government of Canada conducts rigorous scientific review and testing to assess the quality, safety, and efficacy of vaccines before they are approved for use.
Once a vaccine is in use, Canada has a comprehensive vaccine safety monitoring system to alert public health authorities to changing trends or unusual adverse events not previously reported. These alerts trigger expert medical reviews, which are conducted on all serious adverse events to identify any safety concerns and to respond to these quickly and appropriately. Together, this system, referred to as “post-market surveillance” is an essential part of the Government of Canada’s ongoing monitoring to ensure the continued quality, safety and effectiveness of all vaccines and other health products that are in use in Canada.
For more information on vaccine safety monitoring in Canada, Canadians are encouraged to refer to the following web page: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization/vaccine-safety.html
For further information on vaccine injury compensation, Canadians are encouraged to contact provincial and territorial ministries of health: http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/health-system-systeme-sante/cards-cartes-eng.php
June 16, 2020 (Petition No. 431-00263)
Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.
| Province / Territory | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Alberta | 166 |
| British Columbia | 277 |
| Manitoba | 19 |
| New Brunswick | 29 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 2 |
| Northwest Territories | 1 |
| Nova Scotia | 21 |
| Ontario | 218 |
| Prince Edward Island | 1 |
| Quebec | 18 |
| Saskatchewan | 38 |
| Yukon | 1 |