Trudeau to detail vaccine plans

Canada to share up to 100 million doses with other countries

CARBIS BAY, CORNWALL, ENGLAND

— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will wait until an international summit with his democratic peers concludes before providing any details on how Canada will make up to 100 million vaccine doses available to countries not as flush with protection against COVID-19.

Trudeau himself hasn’t confirmed details on how it will get shots to more parts of the world, given how it’s wealthy nations leading the worldwide vaccination campaign.

On Friday, he met with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his first official sit-down with a world leader at the G7 Leaders’ Summit.

Posing for photographers and journalists, the pair stood smiling elbow-to-elbow, with Johnson flashing a thumbs up before their meeting started.

Even before they sat down, Johnson made it clear what he wants to see from his G7 colleagues.

The day before, he pledged that over the next year, the United Kingdom would be donating at least 100 million of its surplus shots.

Johnson, as host of the summit, also expects other leaders to contribute doses, money, or both to provide the rest of the world with one billion shots in hopes that ends the pandemic next year.

And it seems Canada is listening.

In discussing the conversation between Trudeau and Johnson, Canada’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom confirmed it would contribute “up to” 100

million doses to the global vaccination effort.

“That will be a combination of some in cash and some in-kind. The full breakdown will be available on Sunday,” said Ralph Goodale, a longtime MP and former cabinet minister in Trudeau’s government.

“But Canada’s global number is up to 100 million.”

Bob Rae, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations — a former interim Liberal leader — recently underlined to a Senate committee the importance of COVAX, an initiative designed to get vaccines to 92 middle- and low-income nations, and the urgency to get more countries vaccinated, by pointing to the catastrophe the

more transmissible Delta variant first reported in India.

A Canadian government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the country’s offer also includes what it bought for others in vaccinesharing initiatives.

Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, said at a COVID-19 briefing Friday that the country can “walk and chew gum at the same time” when it comes to protecting its population and helping to vaccinate the world. “It’s not one or the other. Both things are happening at the same time,” he said.

Besides COVID-19, trade and the economy were top-of-mind issues for the leaders.

The leaders agreed a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement between the U.K. and Canada would unlock huge opportunities for both of our countries. They agreed to redouble their efforts to secure an FTA as soon as possible,” according to a readout of their conversation from the U.K.’s High Commission in Canada.

“They discussed a number of foreign policy issues including China and Iran. The prime minister thanked Prime Minister Trudeau for Canada’s leadership on the international response following the downing of the Ukraine International Airlines plane in Tehran last year.”