Canada to take part in WTO talks to waive vaccine patents
Canada agreed Thursday to join World Trade Organization talks on waiving the rules that protect vaccine trade secrets — a measure drug companies and a number of world leaders say would only slow down production.
International Trade Minister Mary Ng broke the news during question period in the House of Commons, putting Canada more squarely onside with the United States, which made a similar commitment Wednesday.
But it followed a confusing 24-hour window that left unclear whether Canada, despite full-throated expressions of support for the U.S. decision, would be willing to sit down at the negotiating table.
In theory, a waiver to the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, or TRIPS, would make it easier for developing countries to import the expertise, equipment and ingredients necessary to make their own COVID-19 vaccines.
Critics, however, call the idea wrong-headed, citing the glacial pace of WTO talks, the need for a broad consensus, the complexities of vaccine manufacturing and the pharmaceutical business model that helped develop the vaccines in the first place.
“We will actively participate in negotiations to waive intellectual property protection particular to COVID-19 vaccines under the WTO agreement on TRIPS,” Ng said in response to a question from New
Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh.
Ng did not elaborate on whether Canada supports the specific idea of a waiver. She tweeted Wednesday that Canada is “actively supporting the WTO’s efforts to accelerate global vaccine production and distribution.”
“We look forward to working with the U.S. on finding solutions to ensure a just and speedy global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The One Campaign, a progressive anti-poverty group that has had kind words for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the past, initially called Canada “oddly absent” from the discussion.
But they changed their tune after Ng confirmed plans to take part in the talks.
“I think it caught everybody by surprise, the announcement [Wednesday] in the U.S. … but it’s gratifying and encouraging to see this step,” said Stuart Hickox, director of the group’s Canadian branch.
But Canada could be doing a lot more, Hickox said, including spelling out how it intends to share what will eventually be a surplus of doses.
“No other country has secured as many doses per capita as Canada has; we’re going to be sitting on tens of millions of surplus doses in no time at all,” he said.