in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, A pr il 15 ,2 02 1 | 18 At Village Orthodontics in Oakville, we specialize in beautiful smiles using clear aligners and traditional braces. New Patients Welcome Schedule your complimentary consultation today! 647-496-1424 2-2983 Westoak Trails Blvd. Oakville villageortho.ca Book your Personalized Smile Consultation today NewsMedia Canada Médias d'Info Canada If Parliament doesn't deliver, local news dies. Google and Facebook are using their power to scoop up 80% of online revenue generated by hardworking journalists and publishers across Canada. Other governments are standing up to the web giants and protecting local news in their countries. Parliament needs to act on their commitment to protect the future of your local news. Learn more at levellingthedigitalplayingfield.ca There's no doubt that politi- cians across the country are feel- ing the pressure of expediting the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and Anita Anand is no exception. As Canada's minister respon- sible for procuring the vaccines, Anand says she's in touch with suppliers daily to expedite the in- oculations. The Oakville politi- cian also hosted a roundtable dis- cussion on April 8 with other Halton MPs and health-care pro- fessionals, including medical of- ficer of health Dr. Hamidah Meghani and Halton Healthcare doctors. Here are four quotes that cap- ture the latest from Anand: (Some answers have been ed- ited for length.) 1. On the roundtable meet- ing: "I have been holding round- tables with various health units across the country; that included stops in Nova Scotia, in British Columbia, in Quebec, and also in Halton Region. I was with my counterparts from Halton -- Ad- am van Koeverden, Karina Gould and Pam Damoff. We hosted some of the leaders in the health- care profession to discuss the vaccine procurements and roll- out, as well as the supply of PPE and rapid tests, among other things. We had a very fruitful conversation and we'll get togeth- er again in about a month's time to continue the conversation." 2. On what was discussed at the roundtable: "The important issue that I brought up was the increase in federal supply of vac- cines. We had 10 million vaccines in this country at the end of last week, we will have 44 million vac- cines in this country by the end of June, and 110 million vaccines by the end of September. What I was trying to stress is that despite what the health officials may be hearing, the supply of vaccines from a federal perspective is very, very stable and indeed in- creasing. Our vaccines are all ap- proved as being safe and effective by Health Canada. They include Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZene- ca, and Johnson and Johnson will begin to be delivered to Can- ada by the end of the month." 3. On critics saying the vac- cine rollout is happening too slowly: "As the minister respon- sible for procuring vaccines and ensuring they continue to arrive in Canada as early as possible, I am focused on the deliveries to Canada. Canada has received over 10.5 million vaccines to date. We were initially planning to re- ceive only 6 million by the end of March. This increased number is the result of our work with sup- pliers each and every day to ac- celerate the delivery of vaccines to Canada to ensure as many vac- cines as possible reach Canadi- ans as rapidly as possible. We will continue to ensure that vac- cines arrive in Canada at an ac- celerated pace." 4. On vaccine hesitancy/ap- pointments going unfilled across the country: "I want to stress that any vaccine that has been ruled safe and effective by Health Canada is a vaccine that Canadians should take. My coun- terpart, Pam Damoff, recently got the AstraZeneca vaccine, my husband has signed up to have his vaccine. People across the country are indeed looking to have this vaccine and any that is offered to them, and I think that's the right approach. If you have an opportunity to get a vaccine, I recommend that you do so." IN QUOTES: ANAND ON COVID-19 VACCINES AND HER HALTON ROUNDTABLE MP Anita Anand is encouraging residents to get a vaccine when the opportunity arises. Graham Paine/Metroland MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@metroland.com NEWS