Justin Trudeau calls up Narendra Modi, seeks Covid-19 vaccine shipment
Dispatch of shipments of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Canada is believed to be “imminent” and awaiting emergency-use authorisation by public health authorities in Canada
In what could be a turning point in relations between New Delhi and Ottawa, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has reached out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and requested a shipment of Covid-19 vaccines.
PM Modi took to Twitter to say that he “was happy to receive a call from my friend, @JustinTrudeau” and added, “Assured him that India would do its best to facilitate supplies of Covid vaccines sought by Canada. We also agreed to continue to collaborate on other important issues like climate change and the global economic recovery.”
Later, Trudeau tweeted that he had a “good discussion” with Modi “on many important issues” and they had “agreed to stay in touch”.
Indian officials said the vaccines manufactured in India will be those from AstraZeneca, sourced from the Serum Institute of India (SII).
The dispatch of shipments of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Canada is believed to be “imminent” and only awaiting emergency-use authorisation by public health authorities in Canada.
Verity Pharmaceuticals, a firm based in the Greater Toronto Area town of Mississauga, is believed to be working with SII for the imports.
There is optimism that the vaccine deal will also result in an improvement in ties between the two countries that were affected after Trudeau had made controversial remarks about the ongoing farmers’ protest in India late last year. His remark had attracted a sharp reaction from New Delhi.
That subject was mentioned obliquely in a readout issued by the Canadian PMO, but couched in diplomatic language. It said, “The leaders discussed Canada and India’s commitment to democratic principles, recent protests, and the importance of resolving issues through dialogue.”
A senior official said this was a “respectful and generic formulation” that applied to protests in both countries, whether they are against farm laws in India or over indigenous rights in Canada.
The call, which lasted nearly half an hour, was described as “positive”.
The Indian statement said Trudeau informed Modi “about Canada’s requirements of Covid-19 vaccines from India” and the latter “assured the Canadian PM that India would do its best to support Canada’s vaccination efforts, just as it had done for many other countries already”.
“Expressing his appreciation, Prime Minister Trudeau said that if the world managed to conquer Covid-19, it would be significantly because of India’s tremendous pharmaceutical capacity, and Prime Minister Modi’s leadership in sharing this capacity with the world,” it added.
During a media interaction on Wednesday, Trudeau echoed that sentiment, saying, “I can highlight that India has been a great partner in fighting Covid, whether it’s helping us with delivery of other pharmaceuticals or whether it’s working together on potential vaccines.”
The Canadian PMO’s release recognised “India’s significant efforts in promoting vaccine production and supply, which have provided vital support to countries around the world”.
It said the “two leaders agreed to work together on access to vaccines’ and “recognised the need for continued global coordination to respond to the pandemic and to promote recovery”.
Another significant topic of conversation appeared in the Canadian readout, as it stated the two PMs “reaffirmed their common interests in a free and open Indo-Pacific”.
This is the formulation that has been used by the Quad nations - the United States, Australia, Japan and India - and signals that Canada is increasingly inching closer to the group as its relations with China continue to sour.
The Trudeau government has faced criticism in recent weeks as its projected inoculation programme has run into difficulty due to shortage of vaccine shipments from Pfizer and Moderna.