43rd Parliament291Not answered before dissolutionAugust 15, 2021e-3214e-3214 (Health)johnhuangHon.MichelleRempel GarnerCalgary Nose HillConservativeABFebruary 24, 2021, at 6:17 p.m. (EDT)March 26, 2021, at 6:17 p.m. (EDT)June 18, 2021March 29, 2021Petition to the <Addressee type="6" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Prime Minister</Addressee>Whereas:Over 20,000 Canadians have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic;Hospitals across the country are being overwhelmed by a surge of serious COVID-related disease;40% of Canadians have said their mental health has declined since March;Small businesses continue to close in record numbers due to prolonged lockdowns and restrictions;Vaccines against COVID-19 have been developed that strongly protect against serious illness and death;Vaccines present a path forward for reopening Canada’s economy and returning to normal life;Vaccine shipments to Canada continue to be delayed, putting Canadian lives and businesses at risk;Other countries, such as the United States, have released details of their contracts with vaccine manufacturers; andCanadians deserve transparency from their government about when they will get a vaccine and when they can get back to normal life.We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Prime Minister to release the details of the federal government's contracts with all COVID-19 vaccine suppliers.COVID-19Government contractsImmunizationPandemic43rd Parliament289Closed upon dissolutionAugust 15, 2021e-3236e-3236 (Civil and human rights)NicolasOuelletteDerekSloanHastings—Lennox and AddingtonIndependentONMarch 24, 2021, at 3:48 p.m. (EDT)July 22, 2021, at 3:48 p.m. (EDT)July 22, 2021Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:Section 6 of the Charter of Rights and Freedom says Canadians have the right to enter, remain in and leave Canada;Section 2a of the Charter of Rights and Freedom says Canadians have freedom of conscience and religion;Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedom says Canadians are not allowed to be discriminated against based on, for example, mental or physical ability (health);COVID-19 passports are being spoken of as the way to revive the travel industry but they stand to put the final nail in the coffin of the travel industry;Canadians have the right to informed choice when it comes to vaccines and other medical treatments, they cannot be forced or coerced;COVID-19 passports could be used to restrict the rights of people who have refused a COVID-19 vaccine, which would be unacceptable and create a society of have and have-nots, and the gap between those groups has only grown thanks to COVID-19, and we stand at the precipice of the gap getting larger still;This is not a partisan issue, it affects Canadians of all stripes and for various personal reasons, and therefore should not be treated as such; andCanadians want their freedom of movement and right to privacy of their personal health data to be positively affirmed by the government.We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to commit to not rolling out any e-vaccination status/immunity passport to the Canadian public for travel, work, public events or otherwise.COVID-19ImmunizationPandemicPatient records43rd Parliament289Closed upon dissolutionAugust 15, 2021e-3409e-3409 (Civil and human rights)RobertLaceyDaneLloydSturgeon River—ParklandConservativeABMay 11, 2021, at 3:18 p.m. (EDT)July 10, 2021, at 3:18 p.m. (EDT)July 12, 2021Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:Section 6 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms secures the right of Canadians to move freely within Canada as well as in and out of Canada;Participation in community, social, and economic life in Canada requires freedom of movement within and between communities, provinces, Canada and other jurisdictions;Vaccine passports or certificates are being considered as a means of countering the spread of COVID-19 and its variants;Proposed vaccine passports or certificates could make vaccination a requirement to move freely and participate fully in social, communal and economic life;Vaccine passports or certificates could introduce discriminatory measures against persons who choose not to be vaccinated, or pressure people into being vaccinated who would otherwise be unwilling to do so;Vaccine passports or certificates could impact different sectors of the economy (travel, tourism, hospitality for instance) and the quality of life of many Canadians and residents of Canada;It is the sacred duty of the Government of Canada to guard against discrimination and guarantee the freedoms secured to Canadians.We, the undersigned, citizens and resident of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: 1- Ensure that freedom of movement and participation in life in Canada is not contingent on being vaccinated or having a vaccine passport or certificate, and2- Work with international partners and jurisdictions to enable the freest possible movement of Canadians abroad without the requirement of vaccination or of a vaccine passport or certificate.COVID-19ImmunizationImmunization recordPandemic43rd Parliament289Closed upon dissolutionAugust 15, 2021e-3454e-3454 (Health)JeanBenoitDerekSloanHastings—Lennox and AddingtonIndependentONMay 28, 2021, at 9:23 a.m. (EDT)June 27, 2021, at 9:23 a.m. (EDT)June 29, 2021Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:A risk vs benefit calculation does not support giving COVID-19 vaccines to children under the age of 18;COVID-19 vaccines use novel technologies and are still in Phase 3 trials to determine safety and efficacy, and are only authorized for use in Canada under emergency protocols; andAlthough they are characterized as "rare," in fact many adverse events and deaths from COVID-19 vaccines, for both children and adults are now being reported around the world, including in Canada.We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to suspend the injection of COVID-19 products from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Astra-Zeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and any other COVID-19 injectable product manufacturers in children less than 18 years of age, until adequate short-term safety trials, and long-term fertility and chronic disease trials are complete, and all findings are published and peer-reviewed with long-term data.ChildrenCOVID-19ImmunizationPandemic43rd Parliament289Closed upon dissolutionAugust 15, 2021e-3503e-3503 (Health)YuenMorrisseyZiadAboultaifEdmonton ManningConservativeABJune 28, 2021, at 2:08 p.m. (EDT)August 27, 2021, at 2:08 p.m. (EDT)Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:The recently introduced vaccine injury support program is only open to individuals who have experienced a serious and permanent injury as a result of receiving a Health Canada authorized vaccine, administered in Canada on or after December 8, 2020;I was a completely healthy individual until I received the flu vaccine in October 2019; A few days later, I developed symptoms so severe that I was hospitalized for 10 days and was diagnosed with a rare syndrome called Steven’s Johnson’s syndrome (a syndrome where 1/3 people do not survive);It appears the side effects of this syndrome will be permanent, my vision was the most affected, my eyes are extremely dry and sensitive to light;To keep my eyes open and be able to see, I have to put in eye drops every 15 minutes; The majority of my medical bills are out of pocket expenses;Not only has my physical health declined, the stress of dealing with the consequences of this syndrome has taken a significant toll on my mental health; andAlthough the vaccine I received was administered less than two years ago, I am not eligible for the vaccine injury support compensation.We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to make an exemption and allow cases such as my case to be eligible for the Vaccine Injury compensation program so that we can pursue treatments that can help improve our vision and overall quality of life.Government compensationImmunizationInjuriesVaccine Injury Support Program43rd Parliament289Closed upon dissolutionAugust 15, 2021e-3521e-3521 (Civil and human rights)JimAngelidisChrisLewisEssexConservativeONJune 28, 2021, at 3:26 p.m. (EDT)October 26, 2021, at 3:26 p.m. (EDT)Petition to the <Addressee type="1" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas: Canadians’ fundamental rights enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms are nonnegotiable;COVID-19 must not be used as a political tool to create a category of second-class citizens;The Government of Canada must not take part in instituting segregationist practices that restrict the Charter rights of Canadian citizens; andCanadians’ medical, religious, philosophical, and personal objections to vaccinations must not be trampled upon by instituting a “vaccine passport”.We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:1. Not require Canadians to obtain a “vaccine passport” in order to exercise their Charter rights; and 2. Secure Canadians personal autonomy and ensure that they are not coerced, either directly or indirectly, to obtain a vaccine.COVID-19ImmunizationImmunization recordPandemic43rd Parliament289Closed upon dissolutionAugust 15, 2021e-3527e-3527 (Health)StevenPelechDeanAllisonNiagara WestConservativeONJune 30, 2021, at 2:35 p.m. (EDT)July 30, 2021, at 2:35 p.m. (EDT)August 3, 2021Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized under Interim Order for use in Canadians as young as 12 years;Biodistribution studies show spread of injected vaccine surrogate nanoparticles throughout the body, including accumulation in reproductive and other diverse organs, and the peak levels of these nanoparticles in the organs, and resulting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, have not been established;The World Health Organization recently confirmed that children and adolescents tend to have milder disease, and there is not yet enough evidence to make recommendations for children to be vaccinated;The reproductive and endocrine organs are sensitive to injuries from infections and inflammation, which may cause infertility and other health issues;The vaccine nanoparticles enveloping the mRNA can induce inflammation;The spike protein, which causes damage to various organs, can circulate in the blood as late as 28 days after vaccination;The American Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System has received submissions of tens of thousands of events involving blood disorders, and various organs, including ovaries; andCurrently, vaccine safety trials do not have the duration or numbers of participants required to rule out many short-term and more importantly long-term adverse reactions including autoimmunity and infertility.We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to suspend the use of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant women, children, youth, and adults of child-bearing age, until adequate short and long-term safety trials are completed and published in peer-reviewed journals.COVID-19ImmunizationPandemic43rd Parliament223Government response tabledMay 5, 2021e-2961e-2961 (Human diseases)GiseleBaribeauDerekSloanHastings—Lennox and AddingtonIndependentONNovember 3, 2020, at 2:25 p.m. (EDT)February 1, 2021, at 2:25 p.m. (EDT)March 22, 2021May 5, 2021February 1, 2021Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:The Government of Canada does not conduct independent safety testing of vaccines;COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers are being granted legal immunity and will not be legally or financially liable for injuries or deaths caused by their products;COVID-19 vaccine development is being rushed; Standard, prudent safety protocols, such as prior animal testing, are being waived;COVID-19 vaccines currently under development are not tested against an inert placebo and are utilizing never before implemented technology that injects manufactured genetic materials;Long-term adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccination may not be known for many years;No coronavirus vaccine has ever been approved because of serious adverse effects, including death to test animals, due to pathogenic priming;COVID-19 vaccines are not designed to prevent infection or transmission; andBypassing proper safety protocols means COVID-19 vaccination is effectively human experimentation.We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to1- Preserve and protect our ethical, legal, and moral right to informed consent;2- Legally ensure COVID19 vaccines are voluntary. This choice must be without disadvantage or prejudice;3- Require that vaccine safety studies comply with standards equal to or exceeding other pharmaceutical products;4- Create an independent committee with a broad range of stakeholder representatives, including citizen vaccine safety advocates;5- Ensure no committee member has intellectual or financial conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical or medical industry;6- Grant this committee the power to independently review applications for approval of all vaccines, including COVID-19; and7- Develop a vaccine injury compensation program whereby vaccine manufacturers are responsible for paying all costs related to the compensation for those injured or killed by their vaccines.
Response by the Minister of HealthSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Jennifer O'ConnellThe Government of Canada recognizes that vaccination is an important and valuable public health measure to protect the health of Canadians. The goal of Canada’s pandemic response is to prevent serious illness and death while minimizing societal disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While vaccines are not mandatory in Canada, safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines can help achieve this goal.Immunization allows individuals to protect themselves from vaccine-preventable diseases, and supports the greater good by protecting families, close contacts, communities and society as a whole. Decisions on the use of vaccines, reporting of vaccination status, and eligibility to receive publicly funded vaccinations are made at the provincial/territorial level. None of Canada’s provinces or territories currently have a policy of mandatory vaccination for any disease, nor has this approach ever been taken in Canada. Some provinces and territories require mandatory reporting of vaccinations for school entry, but this is to increase the ability of public health officials to respond during an outbreak. Vaccination is a personal choice and Canadians should feel empowered to make their own informed choices.All vaccines used in Canada are regulated by Health Canada and must meet rigorous standards for safety, efficacy and quality before their use is authorized. Health Canada regulates the drug approval process under the Food and Drugs Act (FDA) and its regulations, and all drugs, including biologic drugs (also known as biologics), are regulated based on rigorous standards of evidence.Health Canada regulates vaccines for human use in Canada by applying strict requirements, which are informed by science and are aligned with international standards. The review teams for drugs, including COVID-19 vaccines, are comprised of experienced regulatory and scientific experts that make recommendations based solely on scientific evidence. Health Canada reviewers are scientists and physicians with many years of experience reviewing vaccines, and with expertise in different domains including, but not limited to, clinical medicine, toxicology and pharmacology, biochemistry, virology, immunology, microbiology, and other scientific disciplines relevant to the development, testing and manufacture, and quality control of vaccines.For COVID-19 vaccines, the Interim Order Respecting the Importation, Sale and Advertising of Drugs for Use in Relation to COVID-19 introduced new regulatory mechanisms to expedite the authorization of COVID-19 drugs, including vaccines, while protecting the health and safety of Canadians. These mechanisms have enabled Health Canada to review and authorize COVID-19 vaccines as quickly as possible without compromising on safety, efficacy, and quality. Guidelines for COVID-19 vaccines were developed in alignment with international regulators and the World Health Organization (WHO). The guidelines call for the minimum standards of efficacy and safety, ensuring that the number of vaccine recipients and length of safety follow up are sufficient, and efficacy is demonstrated.Health Canada is working closely with domestic and international partners to anticipate and meet Canadians' health product needs. This involves discussing, collaborating, and leveraging resources on multiple issues, including vaccine safety. Notably, Health Canada is an active member of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) and medicine regulators from Australia, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom (ACCESS) Consortiums. Health Canada upholds the WHO-ICMRA joint statement on the need for improved global regulatory alignment on COVID-19 medicines and vaccines, promoting the most rigorous, evidence-based regulatory practices by supporting the alignment of regulatory processes across all countries. The Department also follows the Access Consortium statement on COVID-19 vaccines evidence, which delineates the requirements for safety, efficacy, quality, and pharmacovigilance activities for COVID-19 vaccines.Regulatory authorization of a vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccines, requires a submission from a manufacturer that includes substantial evidence of safety and efficacy from several clinical trials, as well as evidence of manufacturing quality. The Department conducts an in-depth review of the required evidence for safety, efficacy, and quality of the vaccine before an approval is issued. Health Canada requires that clinical trial results be generated from properly designed protocols so that safety and efficacy of vaccines can be well demonstrated, such as whether the appropriate immune response to prevent a disease is elicited. The Department also requires manufacturing data demonstrating consistency and quality in production of the vaccine.To further support Health Canada’s efforts to monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, the Interim Order provides the authority to impose terms and conditions on an authorization at any time, such as risk mitigation measures and additional assessments of safety, efficacy, and immunity information. This means that Health Canada can require further information from the manufacturer as well as require the submission of additional information to ensure that the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh the risks.Health Canada is committed to ensuring that regulatory decisions are independent, and based solely on science and evidence. As well, the Department is committed to openness and transparency in sharing information with Canadians. When an external advisory body is instituted to provide advice to the Department, Health Canada ensures that its members do not have direct interests related to the body’s work, and that relevant affiliations and interests are disclosed publicly to the extent possible.Specifically, the Health Canada Policy on External Advisory Bodies includes a chapter on affiliations and interests. Per this policy, a potential member must complete and submit the Affiliations and Interests Declaration Form within the period set out by the advisory body Secretariat before appointed to an advisory body. A potential member must use the form to disclose all affiliations and interests, including any direct financial interests and other affiliations and interests that relate to the mandate of the advisory body. These might include financial support received from a commercial enterprise, participation in an activity sponsored by a commercial enterprise, or published or publicly stated points of view related to the advisory body's mandate.As part of the Department’s continued commitment to openness and transparency, Health Canada publishes detailed information about the authorized COVID-19 vaccines on the Department’s COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments Portal, including Canadian product monographs, and regulatory decision summaries, which provide a high-level summary of the evidence that was reviewed to support the authorization of the vaccine.As with all vaccines, Health Canada will continue to monitor the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines once they are on the market and will not hesitate to take action if any safety concerns are identified. Canada has a strong post-market safety surveillance system in place to detect any adverse events, even years after vaccination. Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) share the responsibility of monitoring the safety of vaccines in Canada. Vaccine marketing authorization holders are required to report serious adverse events following immunization to the Canada Vigilance Program in Health Canada. The Canada Vigilance Program also receives voluntary reports from healthcare professionals and consumers. Health Canada and PHAC also provide weekly updates on reported adverse events following immunization.Provincial and territorial public health authorities report Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFIs) from publicly-funded vaccine programs to the Canadian Adverse Events Following Immunization Surveillance System (CAEFISS) in PHAC to monitor the safety of immunization programs. Health providers are also required to follow local or provincial public health protocols and submit reports to the appropriate jurisdictional authority.Health Canada continues to monitor safety concerns of marketed vaccine products and update the product monograph, should new safety information emerge. The product monographs can be found in the Drug Product Database. For COVID-19 vaccines, this information can be found in the COVID-19 vaccines and treatments portal. Communication to the public about vaccine safety will continue to be a coordinated approach between all levels of government, healthcare professionals, and vaccine manufacturers.Vaccinations are administered by trained professionals who follow established protocols. Serious and permanent vaccine injuries are rare in Canada. However, as with any medical product, they can occur. On December 10, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the creation of a pan-Canadian no-fault Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP). The VISP will ensure that people in Canada who support public health by being vaccinated have access to financial support should they experience a serious and permanent injury or death as a result of vaccination with a Health Canada authorized vaccine. Building on the model that has been in place in Quebec for over 30 years, this pan-Canadian program will ensure fair and equitable access to support for all individuals vaccinated in Canada. The VISP will strengthen immunization programming in Canada, and bring Canada in line with a growing number of countries who have similar programs in place. 
CompensationConsentCOVID-19Experimental methodsImmunizationPandemicReview panelsSafety testing
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledDecember 7, 2020e-2845e-2845 (Human diseases)AlexandreRodgersMarcusPowlowskiThunder Bay—Rainy RiverLiberalONSeptember 18, 2020, at 11:50 a.m. (EDT)October 18, 2020, at 11:50 a.m. (EDT)October 22, 2020December 7, 2020October 20, 2020Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:We need multiple vaccines to meet global demand, yet we know little about which of the 160 or more vaccines in production actually work;COVID-19 human challenge trials would quickly narrow the field of promising vaccines and answer essential biological questions about COVID-19, potentially saving tens of thousands of lives;Human challenge trials have been indispensable to our understanding of other infectious diseases, like malaria, cholera, and influenza, and would similarly offer an unprecedented level of insight into COVID-19;Over 1,600 Canadians have already volunteered to take part in a COVID-19 human challenge trial;The risk to young healthy volunteers is on par with other acts of public service, such as living kidney donation; andThousands of people are dying every day from COVID-19, and we urgently need to help those who are most vulnerable with accelerated vaccine development.We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to publicly announce a plan for COVID-19 human challenge trials.
Response by the Minister of HealthSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Darren FisherHealth Canada thanks the petitioners for taking the time to raise the important topic of human challenge trials in the context of development of vaccines to prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.  The Government of Canada recognizes the critical impact COVID-19 is having on the lives of all Canadians, both from a health and economic perspective, and continues to take measures to respond to the pandemic with the highest priority. Providing access for Canadians to safe, high quality and effective vaccines is an important part of our overall response. Since the pandemic began, Health Canada has engaged with  stakeholders, including vaccine manufacturers, to provide regulatory assistance in the development of vaccines and treatments.  Globally, large clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines are ongoing, enrolling tens of thousands of participants; these trials are expected to provide the data required to determine whether these vaccines are safe and effective. In addition, Health Canada has authorized a number of clinical trials for vaccines and treatments in Canada, and is already conducting in-depth reviews of submissions for market authorization of three leading COVID-19 vaccines.  The ongoing large clinical trials for the leading vaccines are progressing, with the objective of having results available as soon as possible to confirm the efficacy and safety of these vaccines.  Once the results become available, they will be submitted to Health Canada under its rolling review process.  The Department is committed to reviewing all COVID-19 vaccines in an expedited manner while maintaining high standards for the safety, efficacy, and quality evidence required for authorizations.  In parallel, the Public Health Agency of Canada is elaborating a vaccine deployment strategy to ensure vaccines can be distributed and made available to Canadians soon after regulatory authorization is issued.  The Government of Canada has also concluded agreements that will guarantee access for Canadians millions of doses of the most promising vaccine candidates. For a human challenge trial to be authorized in Canada, a clinical trial application would need to be filed with Health Canada for review.  Under the Food and Drug Regulations, a clinical trial must be conducted according to good clinical practices, with approval from a research ethics board, informed participant consent, and extensive safety monitoring to protect participants. More specifically, stringent safety and ethical requirements would need to be met, including but not limited to:
  • clear informed consent for all participants, where they are explained the potential risks and anticipated benefits;
  • maintenance of participants’ safety, including through the availability of medical assistance and appropriate effective treatments should they become ill;
  • consideration to using a weakened version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to further reduce the risks to participants;
  • measures to effectively minimize the potential transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to third parties, given how infectious it is;
  • a study design that will clearly meet its objectives and have an impact on public health, and produce reliable and relevant data; and
  • consideration as to whether there are alternative means to gathering the same information.
 Health Canada can object to a trial if it determines that it will endanger trial participants or others, that it is not in the best interests of participants, or that its objectives will not be achieved. Health Canada considers that a human challenge trial for COVID-19 would involve a higher risk since SARS-CoV-2 is a new virus that we are still learning about, and long-term effects of the virus are still unknown. With COVID-19, the illness can be severe and deadly, sometimes even in young and healthy individuals, and only limited supportive treatments exist for patients who become seriously ill. Currently, there are no established effective drugs to treat the infection before it becomes more advanced (i.e., when patients need oxygen treatment or ventilation). In addition, we do not yet know what the long-term consequences of infection are, even for those who appear to be fully recovered. Global scientific and clinical knowledge of this new virus, including its impact on people, is still evolving. Therefore, while Health Canada has not received any applications for human challenge trails for SARS-CoV-2 at this time, any future application for authorization by Health Canada would require the human challenge trial to be sufficiently stringent in safety parameters and meet ethical requirements, including access to effective treatments for participants who become ill. Health Canada regularly collaborates and exchanges information with international regulatory partners such as the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency among others, as well as with public health organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO).  The WHO has recently published a guidance document relating to human challenge trials for COVID-19.  The principles and considerations included in this response align with those of the WHO.  We will continue to monitor the global situation, and we remain committed to learning from the expertise and experience of our global regulatory and scientific partners with regards to the considerations for the conduct of COVID-19 human challenge trials.
COVID-19ImmunizationPandemic
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledSeptember 24, 2020e-2386e-2386 (Health)BobMartinKenHardieFleetwood—Port KellsLiberalBCJanuary 23, 2020, at 2:29 p.m. (EDT)May 22, 2020, at 2:29 p.m. (EDT)June 16, 2020September 24, 2020May 25, 2020Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas: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; andA 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.We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to create a vaccine injury compensation program and amend any laws or statutes existing to create this program to cover all Canadians and visitors who are injured or deceased as a result of the administration of a vaccine.
Response by the Minister of HealthSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Darren FisherIn 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.htmlFor 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
Deaths and funeralsGovernment compensationImmunizationInjuries