Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for Moderna's new mRNA vaccine manufacturing plant in Laval, QC, a suburb of Montreal.

The plant is also expected to be completed in 2024 at the earliest, producing 100 million doses of mRNA vaccines annually.

It will also manufacture vaccines against COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

Also, Trudeau was accompanied by many regional and federal politicians today, including Federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer.

In the same context, the Prime Minister told reporters that Moderna’s new plant represents an investment in healthcare security for Canadians and also in a research ecosystem that will provide good jobs for years to come. Champagne said Canada has committed to purchasing a certain number of vaccines from the plant, but he did not provide details.