Editing Navdeep Bains (section)

==== COVID-19 ====
In August 2020, Bains and [[Minister of Public Services and Procurement]] [[Anita Anand]], announced major steps towards securing COVID-19 vaccine and therapies.<ref name="GC_20200805">{{Cite web |last1=Jagric |first1=Alex |last2=Roy |first2=Cecely |author3-link=Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada |last3=Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada |last4=Public Services and Procurement Canada |date=2020-08-05 |title=Government of Canada announces major steps in treating and preventing COVID-19 through vaccines and therapies |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2020/08/government-of-canada-announces-major-steps-in-treating-and-preventing-covid-19-through-vaccines-and-therapies.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221216235932/https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2020/08/government-of-canada-announces-major-steps-in-treating-and-preventing-covid-19-through-vaccines-and-therapies.html |archive-date=2022-12-16 |access-date=2021-03-22 |website=[[Government of Canada]] |author4-link=Public Services and Procurement Canada }}</ref> Bains also announced the members of the COVID-19 Therapeutics Task Force and COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force (VTF). [[Nancy Harrison]] and [[Cédric Bisson]] are co-chairs of the Therapeutics Task Force (TTF) tasked with prioritizing "financial support for promising COVID-19 treatment projects."<ref name="GC_20200805" /> The secretariat of the Therapeutics Task Force is housed at Bains' ISEDC department. [[Joanne Langley]] and [[J. Mark Lievonen]] are the co-chairs Vaccine Task Force advising the federal government on "vaccine development, related bio-manufacturing and international partnerships".<ref name="GC_20200805" /> The secretariat of the Vaccine Task force is supported by the [[National Research Council of Canada]].<ref name="GC_20200805" /> Potential members of the Joint Biomanufacturing Subcommittee of the COVID‐19 Vaccine Task Force and Therapeutics Task Force Meeting began meeting on June 22, 2020, to examine initial proposals from [[Laval, Quebec]]-based-[[Biodextris]], Calgary, Alberta-based-[[PTX-COVID19-B|Providence Therapeutics]], Edmonton, Alberta-based-[[Entos Pharmaceuticals]], Montréal-based [[René Roy (chemist)|Glycovax Pharma]], Vancouver-based-[[Precision Nanosystems]], Vancouver-based [[Symvivo Incorporated]], [[Dartmouth, Nova Scotia]]-based IMV, Quebec City-based [[Medicago Inc.]], and [[Maryland]]-based [[Novavax]]. On June 25 they began their reviews of proposals submitted by [[Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine|AstraZeneca]], [[Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine|Pfizer]], [[Variation Biotechnologies]] (VBI). On July 3 they reviewed Moderna's proposal. Later in July they reviewed Novavax and Johnson & Johnson, and in September Sanofi / GSK. The first announcements of approvals began on August 5 for Pfizer and Moderna and the [rest?] of the approvals were announced in October 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 2020 |title=COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force Registry of Interests |url=https://nrc.canada.ca/en/corporate/covid-19-vaccine-task-force-registry-interests |access-date=March 22, 2021}}</ref>