An important step in the fight against COVID-19 was taken on December 9, with Health Canada’s approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.  We have been working with the provinces and territories for months on a plan to ensure that vaccine doses can be rolled out quickly.

To ensure that every Canadian will have a safe and effective vaccine available to them and their family, we have secured the most diverse portfolio of vaccines and the most number of doses per capita in the world – putting Canada at the front of the pack to receive the vaccine. The federal government will cover the cost of these vaccines, as well as the supplies needed to administer them. This means that not only will doses be free for Manitobans and all Canadians, provinces and territories won’t have to use their funding to pay for this.

Under the leadership of Major General Dany Fortin, the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence are supporting the Public Health Agency of Canada in their coordination of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution across the country, including in Indigenous communities.

COVID-19 vaccines will be distributed in Canada in a phased manner, which will be determined by the provinces and territories. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization, an independent external group of experts, has produced guidelines on who should be prioritized, particularity in the early days of vaccinations, when there is a limited supply. These guidelines will inform the decisions by federal, provincial and territorial decisions around the allocation of vaccines and their rollout. The provincial government is responsible for deciding how to deploy COVID-19 vaccines.

The availability of the vaccine will increase throughout the year, ultimately providing every Canadian with the opportunity to be immunized.

This marks the beginning of Canada’s bridge to recovery, but we still have a long way to go. So we need to continue to follow public health advice and stay home when possible, wash your hands, wear a mask and physically distance.

As we enter the holiday season, I want to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy and safe holiday season. Although we won’t be spending it as we normally do, I know that we can all find creative ways to safely celebrate with those we love. Wishing everyone in Saint Boniface – Saint Vital a very happy and healthy 2021!