The preferred phrase recently in Ottawa is that the “federal government is working hard.” Though, to be fair, the new phrase of the day seems to be the “federal government is working aggressively.”

I have no difficulty accepting that Ottawa is working hard (or aggressively). After all, the Canadian civil service is rated as one of the best in the world and Canada is generally viewed as a well-run country.

But many are asking if Ottawa is also working “smart.”

For example, Canada’s current Covid-19 vaccination timetable is expected to be three months behind the United States’. The Director of Supply, Production and Distribution for Operation Warp Speed Lt. General Paul Ostrowski, spoke to MSNBC on November 30, 2020, stating that anyone in the US who wants a vaccine will be able to get one by June 2021. Canada’s vaccine rollout is unclear but at this time it is generally accepted that if all things go well, half the Canadian population should be vaccinated by September 2021, and this irrespective of when the first vaccines are available in Canada.

This difference is important for health as well as economic reasons. Delays in vaccination mean that potential herd immunity will be delayed and that the virus will not only keep spreading but that some or all sanitary measures will remain in place longer.

Delays also have serious economic consequences. Covid-19 governmental support is extremely expensive. The federal budget deficit for 2020 alone is now expected to exceed $380 billion, or more than $30 billion a month. By comparison, it was expected in late 2019 that the Federal deficit for 2020 would be around $25 billion — and that was considered exceptionally high. Among other things, a slower recovery relative to other economies will affect the value of the Canadian dollar and its buying power.

On a more prosaic note, the timetable of the Canadian vaccination rollout may also mean that some categories of travellers will go to the US and be vaccinated in order to travel early to any countries requiring proof of vaccination for entry.

A delay would also have political consequences for the current minority Liberal government of Justin Trudeau. From the recent body language and statements of some provincial premiers, including Quebec Premier François Legault, it appears that these  provincial leaders have found their scapegoats: the Federal Liberals and their leader. They could contend that when Canada’s procurement teams were negotiating with vaccine suppliers, the federal government did not stress the importance of speedy delivery or, if it was stressed, that in the final analysis it was deprioritized as an expensive luxury.