Commonwealth_ When Canada launched Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP) in 2021, it was aimed to be a safety net for individuals who were seriously and irreversibly harmed after they were vaccinated by a Health Canada-licensed vaccine, particularly amid the country’s record COVID-19 vaccination program. The promise was then thus: offer fair and timely compensation to the select few Canadians harmed by vaccines that helped millions.”.
More than three years on, there are very serious questions being asked whether that promise has been kept. A five-month probe by Global News, including interviews with more than 30 injured victims, former VISP employees and legal experts, uncovered pervasive disillusionment with the administration of the program. The majority of applicants describe feeling they are trapped in a slow, opaque and emotionally draining system.
Among the victims is Kimberly MacDougall, whose husband Stephen died in 2021 from a side effect of a COVID-19 vaccine. His premature death left his family in shambles. Those are not isolated incidents. Other individuals, like former professionals in aviation, education, and social work, have also suffered life-altering injuries after vaccination. Although such occurrences are still uncommon, Health Canada accounts for only 0.011% of more than 105 million doses given that led to serious adverse events. Victims allege they have been left behind by the system that is supposed to care for them.
Oxaro Inc., the third-party firm the federal government outsourced to implement VISP, is at the center of the controversy. To date, the firm received $50.6 million in tax money, of which $33.7 million was spent on administrative costs and only $16.9 million paid to injured Canadians. Critics argue that this uneven split points to poor prioritization and inefficiency.
Initially, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Oxaro had projected that 40 valid claims would be addressed annually by VISP, then raised their estimate to 400. However, to date, over 3,000 applications have been received. Of them, over 1,700 are still pending a decision. The backlog has kept most applicants away, not only coping with the effects of their injuries but also financial insecurity while waiting months—or years—for their matters to be resolved.
Some complainants say that doctors they have never seen or even talked to have reviewed their cases and rejected them. Others say that they are unable to get in touch with their case managers and have turned to crowdfunding to cover basic living expenses and medical expenses. The lack of communication, transparency, and support has resulted in emotional damage, with some complainants describing the process as retraumatizing.
The organizational structure of VISP has also come under scrutiny. Unlike nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, where publicly administered programs for vaccine injuries exist, Canada opted for outsourcing. The case against it is that in doing so, there has been reduced monitoring, unequal assessments, and heightened budgetary wastefulness.
Despite decades of calls for a compensation program for vaccine injuries in Canada, VISP was launched hastily during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many experts now believe that rushed program development has been one factor in why the program has been so inadequate, with not enough preparation for the volume and complexity of claims.
Due to mounting pressure, certain federal officials have reported that they are working to improve the program, but reforms to date have not been implemented. Affected individuals and families continue to wait, with few knowing when or if their claims will receive payment.
As VISP reaches its fourth year, issues arise as to whether or not it is functioning, being equitable, or simply being merciful. For a program designed to benefit those who suffer for the greater good of public health, its trajectory is complicated now and challenging the trust and accountability it was created to uphold. Without immediate change, VISP might persist in depriving the most vulnerable of the promised care and justice.
