Canada’s procurement minister says federal contracts for personal protective equipment, vaccines and rapid test kits are in jeopardy due to a proposed parliamentary probe of the Trudeau government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anita Anand says the probe could trigger the release of commercially sensitive information, scaring off manufacturers and drug companies that would otherwise do business with Ottawa and ultimately placing Canadians’ health at risk.
Anand warns that the House of Commons law clerk does not have the expertise in procurement to properly redact records that would surface through the probe.
Opposition parties are poised to approve the probe this afternoon despite growing objections from industry and experts.
A Conservative motion would order the government to turn over to the Commons health committee all records on a raft of issues related to the government’s handling of the pandemic.
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Canada is the latest to express concerns, asking to know how its commercial secrets will be protected.
READ MORE: Commons showdown highlights tension between politics and science
The Canadian Press
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