The federal government’s decision to wrest control of the Vaccine Injury Support Program from Oxaro is both overdue and revealing. On paper, the program created in 2020 to compensate Canadians who suffer rare but serious vaccine injuries should be a model of compassion and efficiency. Instead, it has become a case study in how not to manage public trust.
Consider the numbers: of more than 3,300 applications, only 234 have been approved, while roughly 1,700 claims remain unresolved. That means well over half of all applicants are still waiting, many for more than a year, to find out whether they’ll receive help. For people dealing with life-altering injuries and medical bills, a 12- to 18-month processing window is more than a bureaucratic inconvenience it’s a financial and emotional burden.
The government’s own choices helped create this mess. Ottawa awarded a $50 million contract to Oxaro, a company with little relevant expertise, and has since allocated nearly $81 million for administration and claims. Conservative MPs were right to call this “deeply concerning,” and to question why the Liberal government would even consider renewing the contract after such poor performance.
Now Health Minister Marjorie Michel’s office says the Public Health Agency of Canada will take over when the agreement with Oxaro ends in March 2026. That’s welcome, but it’s hard to celebrate when the handover is still 18 months away. Canadians harmed by vaccines who followed public health guidance for the common good deserve timely support today, not another year and a half of limbo.
Ultimately, this isn’t about partisan point-scoring. It’s about accountability. If the government wants to restore confidence in both the vaccine program and its own competence, it must prove that moving the program in-house will actually speed up claims, improve transparency, and respect the people who trusted the system. Anything less is just another reshuffle of paperwork while families wait.
