Politics This Morning: Anand signals talks progressing with U.S. to procure more AstraZeneca doses

Good Monday morning, Procurement Minister Anita Anand hinted that talks with her American counterparts to boost Canada's supply of AstraZeneca doses are progressing. She told CTV's Question Period that she's "in touch constantly" with the Biden administration about sending over another shipment of AstraZeneca, which the U.S. is stockpiling, since the vaccine has yet to be approved by its regulatory authorities. Even if the vaccine secures approval soon, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease doctor has said the U.S. is unlikely to need that supply, as it's well on its way to inoculating its adult population. Her remarks follow some signalling from U.S. President Joe Biden himself, who told reporters last week that they're "looking at what is going to be done with some of the vaccines that we're not using." He added that they "want to make sure" the vaccines "are safe to be sent." The government confirmed that more than half of the doses sent were produced at a facility run by Emergent BioSolutions, which has been cited for quality-control issues. AstraZeneca has assured Canada that the doses sent “met the stringent requirements," per National Post. In a statement issued Sunday, Health Canada said that it has "verified" that the doses from the facility "meet quality specifications," adding that it "reviewed test results of all vaccine lots that came into Canada." With the U.S. outpacing much of the world in its vaccination campaign, global envy, and even anger, has started to bubble up against it. The country loaned 1.5 million doses to Canada last month. Last week saw a flurry of vaccine selfies being posted on social media by Gen Xers like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his wife, Sophie, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh who all got the AstraZeneca jab after the Ontario government moved to lower the threshold to those 40 and older. Though the feds' national advisory committee for vaccines has given the green light to offer the vaccines to 30-year-olds, Ontario said it's holding off making that change due to limited supply. "Constantly" seems to be on the tip of the tongues of politicians these days. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told CBC the government is "constantly" evaluating the border measures it has in place to try to slow the spread of new mutations from abroad. Canada on Thursday barred incoming flights from India and Pakistan for 30 days amid growing alarm over the explosion in cases in the subcontinent. More than a million new coronavirus cases were logged in India within a three-day period alone, hitting a new global record. Some experts have cautioned that the temporary travel ban is likely to just delay the spread of the new variants. Still, such a move can help avoid further overwhelming the health-care system. The ban itself also isn't airtight: travellers can book connecting flights to make their way to Canada. How are conservatives in Western Canada grappling with Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole's reversal on carbon pricing? According to pollster Nik Nanos, disaffected Tories are likely to have to hold their nose and choose the lesser poison. "Perhaps the choice for them is an imperfect Erin O'Toole, compared to a Justin Trudeau government, which would not be as friendly to the oil and gas sector," he told The Hill Times. There are 14 House committees scheduled to convene, including Fisheries, which is due to hear from several bureaucrats, including Kyle Garver, a research scientist with the department, as part of its study on the state of the Pacific salmon. That's happening at 3:30 p.m. Auditor General Karen Hogan will testify before the Government Operations Committee on the feds' ongoing response to the pandemic. Ms. Hogan has been making the rounds at committee following the release of her scathing audit that found Canada was woefully unprepared for the pandemic. Her appearance happens at the same time. Heritage officials, meanwhile, are set to appear at 11 a.m. before the House Heritage Committee to field questions on Bill C-10, legislation that seeks to expand the regulatory authority of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications. The PM's itinerary includes a virtual roundtable on homelessness with Ontario Liberal MP Lloyd Longfield. He's also pencilled in a virtual talk on housing with Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan and Andy Fillmore, her parliamentary secretary, in the afternoon. ICYMI: Catch up with the latest Hot Room episode featuring The Wire Report's Mike Lee-Murphy, who looks at whether we can expect to see cellphone bills get cheaper with the proposed Rogers-Shaw merger. The Hill Times

Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Anand signals talks progressing with U.S. to procure more AstraZeneca doses

Plus, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says Ottawa is 'constantly' evaluating the border measures it has in place to try to slow the spread of new mutations from abroad.

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Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Anand signals talks progressing with U.S. to procure more AstraZeneca doses

Plus, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says Ottawa is 'constantly' evaluating the border measures it has in place to try to slow the spread of new mutations from abroad.

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