Hello, everyone. I’m happy to be here with Dr. Tam, Dr. Njoo, as well as Ministers Champagne, Anand, and Hadju.

Today, I want to talk about where we are with vaccine deliveries, public health rules, and long-term investments in biomanufacturing here at home.

Let’s start with vaccine deliveries.

This week, we’re receiving four and a half million vaccine doses – including a shipment from Pfizer that has been moved up ahead of the holiday weekend.

Four and a half million doses is our largest weekly shipment to date, and it will help Canada keep within the top of the G20 on daily vaccinations – where we’ve been for over 2 weeks.

In fact, because of the number of vaccines arriving, yesterday, Ontario announced that anyone over 18 can sign-up for a vaccine appointment starting today.

To everyone who’s been waiting patiently so that your parents and grandparents could go first — thank you, thank you for hanging in there but also, thank you for now booking your appointments.

Hospitals, pharmacies, and healthcare staff are all doing an incredible job rolling out vaccines to everyone so I want to give another big shout-out to all frontline workers who are part of this effort.

With millions of vaccines arriving each week, getting doses into arms is a true Team Canada effort.

With the leadership of people like Brigadier-General Krista Brodie, who’s now heading up Vaccine Logistics and Operations at the Public Health Agency, we’re going to get this done.

Brigadier-General Brodie had already played a key role in the vaccine rollout with the Public Health Agency.

She, along with the team that’s been there since day one, is ready and able to get millions of doses to Canadians in the coming weeks.  On that note, this morning I also want to share some very positive news about our vaccine deliveries for the summer.

I can confirm that we’ll receive 9 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine in June alone.

That means that between now and at least the end of July, we’ll continue to get over 2 million Pfizer doses a week.

I can confirm that we’ll receive 9 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine in July alone.

That means that between now and at least the end of July, we’ll continue to get over 2 million Pfizer doses a week.

Vaccination is progressing rapidly.

This week, we will receive 4.5 million doses – our largest number of doses in a week to date.

These doses will help keep Canada in the top tier of G20 countries for daily immunization, a position we have held for two weeks now.

This is encouraging news. And here’s what it means for you and your family.

This summer, once cases are low, and at least 75% of people have had one dose and 20% have had a second, you can look forward to outdoor things like a small get-together in a backyard, going hiking, or sharing a meal on a patio.

This fall, once three quarters of eligible Canadians are fully vaccinated, we’ll be able to do more of the indoor things we miss, whether that’s watching sports in person or a dinner party in a restaurant.

That’s what a one dose summer and a two dose fall could mean for you and your family – we worry less and see each other more.

And to get there, here’s what we all need to continue to do right now.

First, keep following the current public health restrictions for a few more weeks.

Things can’t open back up until cases are way down, otherwise we risk a fourth wave.

Second – and this is key – get your vaccine.

We can all help get back to the things we love by being vaccinated.

Our priority is protecting you and your family.

In the short-term, that means beating COVID-19. And in the long-term, it means building a healthy, prosperous future. 

Today, I can announce that we are investing almost $200 million in Resilience Biotechnologies to boost our capacity to make vaccines and therapeutics here in Canada.

By supporting facilities and companies so that they can work with the latest technologies, we’re putting Canada at the cutting edge of innovation globally. And that’s key to ensuring that we’re ready for any future health crises.

Today’s investment of almost $200 million in Resilience Biotechnologies will not only boost Canadian manufacturing – it’ll also support good Canadian jobs.

This funding will maintain and create 500 well-paying, full time jobs at the Resilience facility in Mississauga, positions that people can rely on to provide for their families.

It will also mean 50 co-op spots which will help young people get their foot in the door in a growing sector. 

To rebuild from this pandemic, we’re investing in Canada – in workers, in innovation and, in the future.

From creating new jobs in biomanufacturing to supporting entrepreneurs, we have a plan to rebuild a stronger, healthier Canada for everyone.