Trudeau non-committal on waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is committed to making COVID-19 vaccines readily available around the world and will consider waiving intellectual property (IP) rights enjoyed by vaccine makers to improve that access.

Speaking to reporters at a COVID-19 briefing today, Trudeau said Canada understands “this pandemic will not end anywhere unless it ends everywhere.”

While he acknowledged poorer countries need more doses quickly, he stopped short of endorsing a plan to dismantle IP protections for vaccines, which could boost vaccine production by local manufacturers in