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Lianne Rood

Conservative on Adjournment Proceedings 2026-11-03

Following a speech by Maggie Chi (Liberal)

“Mr. Speaker, the member’s question is an important one. While vaccines save lives, we understand that in very rare cases, some people experience adverse impacts. That is why the vaccine impact assistance program exists. The vaccine impact assistance program provides support to Canadians who experience a serious and permanent injury as a result of receiving an authorized vaccine. This program has been administered by the Public Health Agency of Canada since 2021. As the member notes, there were concerns about the old program, the vaccine injury support program. We have heard those concerns, which is why we acted. We compared how Canada addressed these challenges with how other G7 countries and the Province of Quebec managed these cases, and we realized that we needed to update the program so it was more responsive. Since taking over the administration of the vaccine impact assistance program on April 1, the Public Health Agency of Canada has made great strides in strengthening services and information for claimants, maintaining approved financial supports and putting claim assessment and processing procedures in place. There is still work to do in addressing the backlog of pre-existing claims. Thanks to the agency’s efforts, we are making sure that these cases are dealt with, with the compassion and care they deserve. Our work on improving the vaccine impact assistance program shows how our government will always work to support vulnerable Canadians. This is important work, and we are committed to getting it right.”

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Mr. Speaker, we keep hearing that vaccines save lives and that the government recognized the problem and is working collaboratively to support people. That is a familiar response, but like so many things the government does, the facts do not always match the rhetoric. Taking a failing third-party program in-house and renaming it does not erase the $36 million that went to administration while injured Canadians received roughly one-third of that amount of money. It does not clear the backlog, raise the approval rate or restore the incomes and health of people who have been waiting years and are still waiting. Urgency would mean results. Canadians who followed the advice and the mandates are still struggling. Talking about caring, while the money has gone primarily to bureaucracy, is not support. It is the opposite of the promise that was made. A government that cannot keep promises made to the vulnerable, one that does not value life but offers death as a solution for its own mismanaged programs, is not one that Canadians should believe in or trust.