Discussion · Adjournment Proceedings
Maggie Chi Liberal
“Our program supports Canadians who suffer serious and permanent injuries from vaccines. People had concerns about how it worked before, so we updated it to make it better. We have improved the services, but we still need to clear a backlog of older claims. We are committed to fixing this.”
“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.”
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.