We are unwavering in our commitment to protect Canadians from COVID-19. That is why we signed agreements for seven vaccine candidates, and have now distributed more than 1.1 million vaccines to the provinces and territories. It is also why we’ve been growing our capacity for vaccine development and manufacturing right here in Canada.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced that we’ve signed an agreement with Novavax to produce their COVID-19 vaccines at the new NRC Royalmount facility in Montreal. While this vaccine candidate still awaits Health Canada approval, tens of millions of Novavax COVID-19 doses will eventually be made right here at home. We will also be supporting ongoing vaccine and biomanufacturing projects in Canada, including more than $25 million to Precision NanoSystems Incorporated (PNI) in Vancouver to build a biomanufacturing centre to produce vaccines, and $14 million to Edesa Biotech in Ontario, to further work on therapy for COVID-19 patients.

These investments will protect Canadians now and into the future, and are a major step forward in our plan to increase Canada’s ability to produce vaccines and treatments here at home. Until all Canadians receive access to a free, safe and effective vaccine, we must continue doing the right thing and protecting ourselves and our loved ones from the virus. This means practicing physical distancing, staying home whenever possible, wearing masks and using the COVID Alert app. Together, we must protect one another from COVID-19 and build a country that is healthier and safer for everyone.