COVID-19 Proof of Vaccination Fund: Response letter from British Columbia

December 15, 2022

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos 
Minister of Health 
House of Commons 
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 

Dear Minister Duclos:

Thank you for your letter of October 25, 2022, concerning the Canadian COVID-19 proof of vaccination credential (PVC) funding. This letter confirms receipt of your correspondence and indicates BC’s agreement on the following commitments to access the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Proof of Vaccination Fund.

British Columbia is committed to maintaining alignment with the pan-Canadian specification for the Canadian PVC and continuing to follow the specification as it evolves to keep pace with a changing context, to ensure it remains interoperable domestically and internationally. 

As the pandemic continues to evolve, we also commit to maintaining the Canadian PVCs (including continued issuance) for as long as other international or domestic jurisdictions are requiring it, for up to three additional years beginning in April 2022. 

Furthermore, we commit to providing dedicated and sustained points of contact to other provincial and territorial governments and the Government of Canada to address user issues collaboratively, including out-of-jurisdiction issues such as those that may occur outside of the province or territory that issued the PVC. This will help ensure the federal-provincial-territorial collaboration needed to address issues, in parallel with the Government of Canada commitment to continue to be a first point of contact to support holders of Canadian PVCs while travelling abroad. 

BC also seeks to further improve the Canadian PVC and user experience, and remains committed to working with the Government of Canada in key areas of collaboration, taking into account important considerations for Indigenous communities and organizations. 

As such, we welcome the constructive partnership with the Government of Canada and reaffirm our commitment to sustained collaboration in areas including consistent PVC eligibility and accessibility across Canada, vaccine registry accuracy and completeness, and technology infrastructure security and integrity, as you have outlined in your letter.

I appreciate the opportunity to respond.

Sincerely,

Adrian Dix
Minister