An Invitation to Write a Letter to the Prime Minister

I am asking everyone in the Diocese of New Westminster to consider writing to the Prime Minster to show your commitment to requiring Canada to be more clear about the nation's commitment to Vaccine Equity around the world.

Below you will find a link to an excellent interview with Dr. Madhukar Pai which will help to inform you, and please share it with others.

All in the diocese are invited to send the letter which follows and is linked here in .PDF and downloadable below on this post in .DOCX, but using your name in the signature. Tell the Prime Minister that you are a member of the Diocese of New Westminster and and why this matters to you.

You are welcome to be in touch with me for any questions or just to let me know if you have sent a letter .

Sincerely,

The Rev. Margaret Marquardt

Link to:  Will Omicron finally spur wealthy nations to back vaccine equity? | The Sunday Magazine with Piya Chattopadhyay | Live Radio | CBC Listen

Here is a link to the PWRDF Vaccine Equity Fund donation page

IMAGES:COVID model and Dr. Madhukar Pai

The Letter

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,

Greetings into this new year of 2022. Thank you to you and your government for the leadership of our country during this pandemic.

I am writing to you about Vaccine Equity in our world. I am writing to express my concern and my hope that Canada will work ever more diligently in getting the vaccines for COVID-19 to nations around the globe who do not possess it. I understand that Canada has sent about a quarter of the vaccines we have committed to send by the end of 2022.

What do we need to do as Canada in the world?

1. Our full commitment of vaccine to the world's nations that don't have access needs to happen now. As you have stated in your year end interview on CBC, the answer to the end of this pandemic is for everyone to get the vaccine (or access to the technology behind the vaccine). The financial commitment Canada has made is not working now as the vaccine isn't getting to the countries that need it as the supply isn't there because it is going to all the countries like Canada who have procured vaccine, paying top price. Canada is not living up to our commitment as this very moment.
2. Canada needs to sign onto the world-wide petition for the technology behind the vaccine to be shared...for the vaccine recipe to be made available. In this way, countries may get their own processes going to create the vaccine. But first, they need the "recipe'.  Why has Canada not signed onto this in order to pressure on the two main pharmaceutical companies? Vaccine equity is the right thing to do. From a self-interest point of view, it is very much to our benefit as Canadians that vaccine equity happens as we will only get through this if all nations have access to vaccine recipes and to vaccines.

I am looking to government to be an active leader in this. It is unconscionable that we are in our third year of this pandemic and many of us have now had two vaccines and a booster while approximately 39% of the world's population remain unvaccinated.

This is a legacy issue. What will this government be known for historically in how you led Canada clearly and intentionally in the way we stood by the rest of the world as well as what we did for ourselves during this pandemic?

Sincerely,

The Reverend Margaret Marquardt

Chair, Eco-Justice Unit

Anglican Diocese of New Westminster, BC