Thanks to investments made over the past year by the federal government, Canada is on track to build a significant national vaccine production capacity. In addition, almost half of all of our personal protective equipment is now manufactured domestically by Canadian companies. 

Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Novavax will start producing its COVID-19 vaccine as early as this year at the National Research Council's new Biologics Manufacturing Centre in Montreal. With a federal investment of $126 million announced last summer, the Centre will produce 2 million doses per month. 

Early on last year, the federal government also supported the promising "plant production platform" exclusive to Medicago in Quebec City. In addition to $173 million invested to develop these facilities and theiur bioproduction capacity, Ottawa has also secured 76 million doses from Medicago. Canada's first vaccine candidate could begin distribution in the middle of the year, following the current Phase 3 of clinical trials and Health Canada’s approval. 

"The supply of vaccines, some of which are still in development, is not an exact science, but with all the agreements that the Government of Canada has signed, we are confident that 6 million doses will be distributed to the provinces by the end of March, 20 million by the end of June, and that all Canadians who wish to do so will be vaccinated by the end of September," said Minister and Member of Parliament for Compton-Stanstead, Marie-Claude Bibeau. 

To date, the federal government has invested more than $1 billion in research and development to fight COVID-19. Canada’s Plan to Mobilize Industry to fight COVID-19 has enabled more than 1,000 Canadian companies to reorient their operations to manufacture nearly 50% of our personal protective equipment (masks, gloves, etc.). The domestic production of vaccines and protective equipment is now a national priority to ensure the health of Canadians and the vitality of the economy.