The federal government has released new details on millions of dollars spent studying COVID-19 vaccines, offering a breakdown of research funded through a major pandemic-era program.

In response to Order Paper Question Q-848 from Conservative MP Dean Allison, tabled in February and answered April 13, federal officials outlined expenditures tied largely to the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force.

The task force, administered by the Public Health Agency of Canada, was launched in April 2020 as a $300 million grants and contributions program to support research on COVID-19 and inform public health decisions.

According to the response, dozens of projects were funded between 2021 and 2024, focusing on vaccine safety, effectiveness, and immune response across a range of populations, including seniors, children, pregnant individuals, Indigenous communities, and immunocompromised patients.

Among the largest projects were the CANVAS COVID vaccine safety surveillance study at nearly $6.9 million, a “mix and match” vaccine dosing study at over $7.3 million, and research into vaccine impacts in Arctic Indigenous populations at approximately $5.7 million.

Additional studies, many costing between several hundred thousand and several million dollars, examined vaccine performance in specific groups, including transplant recipients, people living with HIV, and those with chronic illnesses.

On the question of vaccine approvals, Health Canada said it did not fund separate research on manufacturers’ applications, instead relying on its standard regulatory review of clinical trial data submitted by vaccine developers.

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The response also highlighted several projects tracking adverse events following immunization. However, it did not specify when Canadians were informed of particular risks, noting that such studies contributed to broader surveillance efforts rather than direct public notifications.

Research into vaccine hesitancy was also funded, including studies focused on specific communities and groups such as healthcare workers and people experiencing homelessness.

While the government provided a detailed list of individual projects, it did not include a total combined cost for all initiatives cited in the response.

Officials said summaries of vaccine data and regulatory decisions are available through Health Canada’s public-facing portals, and emphasized that approvals were based on established scientific standards.