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Why vaccine nationalism could prolong the COVID-19 pandemic
The race to secure a vaccine against COVID-19 has pitted country against country, which could undermine efforts to control the virus worldwide.
While the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for those at highest risk of getting and spreading the virus to receive a vaccine first, rich countries are making deals to stockpile their own supplies — even before safe and effective vaccines exist. And that comes with risks.
This kind of vaccine nationalism means every country fends for itself, with wealthier nations buying up supplies of vaccines and leaving little for other nations.
Dr. Margaret Harris, a WHO spokesperson, says vaccine nationalism is self-defeating in multiple ways: it will hinder the revival of the global economy and extend disruptions of world trade and travel. "You could take the view that your population might like you better if you were the one grabbing all the vaccine," Harris said. "But your population won't love you if the pandemic is going on and on and on."
Canada has made deals to secure up to 282 million doses of potential vaccines. The federal government has also signed on to WHO's COVAX program, which aims to buy and fairly distribute shots globally.
Watch | How vaccine nationalism could hinder pandemic fight:
If the vaccines wealthy countries have pre-ordered directly from manufacturers don't pan out, COVAX offers a life insurance policy of sorts. Under COVAX, they would have access to vaccines that did succeed but only enough for 20 per cent of their populations, to ensure global coverage.
Alyson Kelvin, a virologist evaluating made-in-Canada vaccines at the VIDO-InterVac lab in Saskatoon, said she thinks it's important for Canada to secure doses for its own people.
"I often think of this as a situation where we're all on a plane, and when the plane's going down, they ask you to make sure that you have your mask on before you help others," Kelvin said. "Keeping our own country running is going to help us help other people prepare." Read more on this story here.
Under fire
(Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images)
An unexploded rocket in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region's main city of Stepanakert is seen in this photograph taken Tuesday, during ongoing fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region. Canada and the United Kingdom yesterday called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to cease fighting and return to the negotiating table "without any preconditions." Read more about the call for the fighting to stop.
In brief
A law passed by the Liberal government to counter racism in the court system and diversify juries is facing a challenge today before Canada's highest court from people who argue the changes undermine the rights of the accused. The Supreme Court of Canada will hear a case involving Pardeep Chouhan, a Greater Toronto Area man charged with first-degree murder who is arguing the changes to jury selection infringed on his rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Bill-C-75, which came into effect in September 2019, modified the jury selection procedure under the Criminal Code by eliminating the right of Crown and defence to make "peremptory challenges" — to object to a proposed juror without stating a reason. Former Liberal justice minister and attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould introduced the change following public outrage over the 2018 trial of Gerald Stanley, a white Saskatchewan farmer who was acquitted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of 22-year-old Indigenous man Colten Boushie. During the jury selection process for Stanley's trial, all visibly Indigenous candidates were challenged and excluded by Stanley's defence team through peremptory challenges. Read more on this story here.
The legal cost of defending Liberal cabinet minister Seamus O'Regan in a small claims court defamation case launched by a veterans advocate has now topped $213,500, according to a document tabled in the Senate. The figure, compiled by Justice Minister David Lametti's office, captures the cost of litigation and support services delivered by the government lawyers and staff who worked on the lawsuit launched two years ago by Sean Bruyea, a former air force intelligence officer. Bruyea claimed O'Regan — who was the Veterans Affairs minister at the time — defamed him in a February 2018 opinion piece in the Hill Times, a parliamentary precinct publication. The federal government agreed last June to settle the lawsuit, which originally asked for $25,000. The final settlement was paid last week. The terms were not disclosed to the public, and the payment to Bruyea was not factored into the Department of Justice's estimate of the costs. Read more about the court case here.
Despite highly publicized rebates from companies in the early days of the pandemic, rates for new car insurance policies have risen during COVID-19 and are set to increase even more soon, a new report suggests. According to financial technology firm LowestRates.ca, the cost of car insurance climbed between April and June for most drivers in the market for a new policy in parts of the country where rates aren't heavily regulated. That's despite moves in March and April by a number of insurers to offer COVID-19 rebates on bills to reduce monthly premiums to people who were driving less because of lockdowns. The Insurance Bureau of Canada said its members paid out more than $750 million worth of rebate cheques and reduced premiums in the first three months of the pandemic. But even as many existing policyholders were getting rebate cheques or negotiating lower premiums in exchange for reduced coverage because they were driving less, drivers seeking new insurance policies were being quoted higher prices on the whole, according to LowestRates.ca. Read more on the cost of car insurance here.
In Fort Resolution, as in many N.W.T. communities, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) was a lifeline that helped people afford basic necessities, such as reliable home internet, for the first time. At the same time, it has intensified long-standing social problems, such as bootlegging, substance abuse and a lack of stable employment. Though CERB is no more, there are questions about the lasting effects of the benefit payment on small communities like this one. People who lost their jobs, had been laid off or couldn't work as a result of the pandemic and earned at least $5,000 in the previous year were eligible for CERB. But the federal government did not require applicants to provide proof of employment status to access the benefit. Dene National Chief Norman Yakeleya said that gave many in the rural communities more disposable income than usual. Some of that money, he said, fuelled a boom in the ever-present bootlegging industry. "The [federal] government has caused us in the communities a headache that, with the CERB payments, didn't need to be there," he said. Read more about the community's situation here.
U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence and Democrat Kamala Harris meet tonight in Salt Lake City for their only debate of the election campaign. Vice-presidential debates rarely move the needle in significant ways during a presidential election. But with U.S. President Donald Trump recovering from the coronavirus and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, trying to become the oldest president in U.S. history, the stakes are higher this time. CBC News will have special live coverage of the debate, with analysis before and after the debate, providing a Canadian perspective. Pre-debate coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET. The debate itself begins at 9 p.m. ET and can be seen on CBC News Network, CBCNews.ca, on the CBC News app or on CBC Gem. Read more here, including why the Democrats wanted a Plexiglas barrier erected between Harris and Pence.
Now for some good news to start your Wednesday: Les fleurs de Lali is a true backyard business. Nine-year-old Lali and her mother, Lisa Chandler, started it three years ago as a creative way to raise money for charity. They grow flowers in their garden in Charlottetown, make bouquets and offers them for a donation. Lali keeps a small portion of her profits in the summer, but the majority is donated to Ronald McDonald House Atlantic. So far, they have raised over $3,000 for the charity, which helps house families when children from around the region need medical care in Halifax. "I like that I'm helping other kids and families," Lali said. "I want kids to have a place to go if they ever get sick." Read more about Lali's flower business and the life lessons she's learning.
Front Burner: New Green Party Leader Annamie Paul's vision for Canada
Annamie Paul, a Toronto-based human rights lawyer, was on Saturday elected leader of the Green Party of Canada — becoming the first elected Black leader of a major federal party. She takes over from Elizabeth May, who stepped down last year, after 14 years as leader. In her victory speech, Paul talked about how she believes the party is the one that Canadians need to guide them through "the challenges of this time."
Today on Front Burner, Paul discusses why that is and how the Green Party plans to differentiate itself.
Today in history: October 7
1786: Louis-Joseph Papineau, leader of the 1837 rebellion in Lower Canada, is born.
1913: Oil is discovered at Okotoks, Alta.
1923: Artist and sculptor Jean-Paul Riopelle is born in Montreal. Riopelle became one of Canada's best-known artists of the 20th century.
1999: Adrienne Clarkson is installed as the 26th Governor General of Canada, becoming the first member of a visible minority to hold the post. She served an extended term that ended on Sept. 27, 2005. Over those six years, she travelled to more than 300 communities across Canada.
With files from The Canadian Press, The Associated Press and Reuters
English (United States)