OTTAWA -- International Trade Minister Mary Ng will attend the upcoming World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference, where her office says she plans to address the waiving of intellectual propert
y rights on COVID-19 vaccines.
In the spring, the federal government opted out of supporting a TRIPS Waiver proposal brought forward by India and South Africa and backed by 100 countries.In a statement to CTVNews.ca, Alice Hansen, a spokesperson for the minister’s office said “TRIPS is a key part of the on going Trade and Health discussion, and Canada will play a leadership role in Trade and Health discussions at the upcoming MC12 meeting.
Opponents of the proposal, including pharmaceutical giants, say waiving patents could hurt innovation and prevent companies from recovering their investments in research and development. The NDP have been calling for a suspension of the patents on COVID-19 vaccines to help with global supply.
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