E-Paper
Canadian senators call on govt to scale up pandemic-related donations for India
They have also called upon the Trudeau administration to support a temporary waiver of IPR protections on coronavirus vaccines and pharmaceuticals
Canadian senators have called upon the government to match donations made by citizens to assist India as it struggles to tackle the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
They have also called upon the Trudeau government to support a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights (IPR) protections on coronavirus vaccines and pharmaceuticals necessary to counter the crisis.
Indo-Canadian Senator Ratna Omidvar has tabled a motion in the Senate, “asking the government of Canada to match the generous donations made by Canadians to India for Covid-19 related relief”.
That motion has garnered support from about six other senators, including Leo Housakos, who tweeted, “I would like to wholeheartedly lend my support as well to this initiative. The situation in India is one of truly a humanitarian crisis and our government must step up Canada’s efforts.”
Senators supporting the motion have written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterating the point, noting that research by Library of Parliament has found that in the last 10 years, the government has matched the donations of Canadians 10 times.
“This is certainly another disaster that needs the same support,” they jointly wrote.
The release from Omidvar also said that earlier this year, “India came to Canada’s aid by shipping vaccines to support the nation’s vaccination drive. It is now time for Canada to be generous in return and send much needed support before it is too late.”
Separately, a group of 14 senators has written to the government asking it to support a motion submitted by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organization, seeking temporary suspension of IPR protections on Covid-19 vaccines and medicines under the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) agreement.
“Should the government support the TRIPS waiver initiative, it will send a strong signal of solidarity with global public health efforts and support the health and well-being of the most vulnerable,” they argued.
