By Andrew Thomson | UPDATED 2:33pmET
Federal ministers, health officials provide update on use of COVID-19 vaccines
Canada has signed agreements with Pfizer and Merck to acquire doses of their new oral anti-viral COVID19 treatments, pending Health Canada authorization.
Canada has signed agreements with Pfizer and Merck to acquire doses of their new oral anti-viral #COVID19 treatments pending Health Canada authorization, announces Public Services and Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi at a news conference in Ottawa.#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/ceVT5fgAsw
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) December 3, 2021
The government also confirmed that enough pediatric doses (2.9 million) have arrived to offer vaccines to all Canadian children.
But Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos faced more questions this afternoon on the new travel and testing measures previously announced to try and contain the Omicron variant.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, and Dr. Howard Njoo, deputy chief public health officer, also held a technical briefing on the National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s (NACI) latest recommendations on COVID-19 booster shots and vaccine safety for those age 12 to 29.
The federal government recently requested the advisory committee provide quick guidance on the use of COVID-19 booster shots amid concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant.
WATCH BOTH NEWS CONFERENCES:
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will deliver a fiscal and economic update on Tuesday, Dec. 14, she confirmed to the House of Commons during yesterday's question period.
Meanwhile, the Standing Committee on Finance will convene by next Monday to examine the latest pandemic support bill, after the House adopted a motion from Government House Leader Mark Holland and then passed C-2 at second reading.
The motion also calls for Freeland to appear and answer committee questions for at least two hours.
Holland also released yesterday the government's proposal to end the dispute with opposition parties over access to documents from the Public Health Agency of Canada relating to the 2019 dismissal of two scientists from Winnipeg's high-security microbiology lab:
The government had taken the Speaker of the House to federal court to try and block the disclosure of unredacted material to MPs; the action was discontinued when the previous Parliament dissolved in August.
Friday's House of Commons debate focused on the government bill that 1) introduces 10 days of paid sick leave for federally-regulated employees, and 2) criminalizing the harassment of health care workers and patients or preventing their access to a medical facility.
Watch question period:
Thursday on PrimeTime Politics:
Peter Van Dusen welcomed epidemiologist Raywat Deonandan to analyze the latest on COVID-19 and the Omicron variant in Canada.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller discussed his plan to accelerate the reconciliation effort with Canada’s Indigenous peoples.
And political commentators Muhammad Ali, Nikki Hill, and Marisa Maslink reviewed the latest developments on Parliament Hill.
