The Jab Hurts: assessing Canada's role in vaccine nationalism during COVID-19

Abstract

ABSTRACT COVID-19 has led many countries to dismiss globalization and reassert sovereignty through ‘Vaccine Nationalism’, a process whereby high-income countries race to secure vaccine doses for their own populations. This nationalist behaviour has severe consequences for low-income countries lacking vaccine manufacturing capacity or the funds to buy doses, by limiting their access to the pool of available vaccines. Despite calls for vaccine sharing by international organizations, this nationalist behaviour has continued for two years by many countries, including typical multilateral actors such as Canada. To understand this trend, this paper argues that the pursuit of vaccine nationalism by wealthy nations is both a rational by-product of realpolitik, and justified through securitization discourse. In looking back at Canada's active engagement in vaccine nationalism throughout the pandemic, this paper concludes that as a long-time multilateral leader, Canada's nationalist actions to secure COVID-19 vaccines were uncalled for.