Canadian Government Hold Groundbreaking Ceremony For Moderna’s mRNA Vaccine Factory In Montreal Area
Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was on Monday took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for biotechnology company Moderna’s new mRNA vaccine factory in Laval, Que., a suburb of Montreal.
The factory is expected to be completed in 2024 at the earliest and produce 100 million doses of mRNA vaccines per year.
“We’re one step closer to seeing mRNA vaccines being developed right here in Canada,” Trudeau said.
It will manufacture vaccines against COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
Trudeau was accompanied by several provincial and federal politicians today, including federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer.
The Prime Minister told reporters that Moderna’s new factory represents an investment in the healthcare security of Canadians and also in a research ecosystem that will deliver good jobs for years to come.
Champagne says Canada has committed to purchasing a certain number of vaccines from the factory, but he didn’t provide details.
