World Health Organization (WHO) member nations, including Canada, voted for the global Pandemic Treaty on May 20, 2025, raising concerns about sovereignty under legally binding obligations.The long-awaited agreement — which would make member states accountable under international law — has garnered backlash as netizens debate national sovereignty versus control under a global body, and past COVID-19 missteps.The treaty, adopted at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, has been in the works since 2021. It marks a significant step toward global health coordination, but its implications for national sovereignty have ignited fierce debate."The agreement is a victory for public health, science and multilateral action. It will ensure we, collectively, can better protect the world from future pandemic threats," said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.With 124 countries voting in favor, 11 abstaining, and none voting against, the treaty claims its aim is to prevent the “inequities” and inconsistent responses seen from various countries during the COVID-19 pandemic..WATCH: WHO fails on pandemic treaty, yet Tedros still pushing.Yet, for Canadians skeptical of global governance after former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government’s handling of COVID-19 — as well as other countries falling into lockstep, even going so far as to use the same repetitive phrases and introduce vaccine mandates and lockdowns — the treaty’s legally binding provisions, especially on pathogen data sharing and resource allocation, raise red flags about ceding control to an international body.Canada, under Mark Carney’s leadership, voted in favor of the treaty’s adoption this week, aligning with 123 other nations. However, the treaty awaits signatures pending finalization of the PABS annex by May 2026, requiring 60 ratifications to take effect.Canada’s support indicates its long-standing push for multilateralism under Liberal leadership, but many, wary after COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccine mandates, fear the treaty could erode national decision-making power.The binding data-sharing rules still spark unease — however, the latest available draft of the treaty explicitly states it allows the preservation of national sovereignty, stating countries retain control over domestic policies like lockdowns or mandates.The lack of transparency in early treaty drafts, as seen in the March 2024 document, further stoked fears of hidden agendas, though the final text clarifies the WHO’s limited authority..Five countries have now pushed back on WHO Pandemic Treaty.The WHO Pandemic Agreement, a 30-page framework, establishes legally binding obligations for ratifying countries. Key among them is the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System (PABS), requiring nations to share genetic sequences of potential pandemic pathogens within 48 hours, with 10% of resulting vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics allocated to the WHO for equitable distribution.The treaty’s binding obligations, particularly PABS data sharing, worry conservatives who see it as a step toward global oversight. While the WHO cannot enforce lockdowns or mandates, the requirement to share pathogen data and allocate resources could pressure Canada to align with international priorities over national ones.Other provisions include coordinating global supply chains for medical supplies and promoting a “One Health” approach to monitor zoonotic risks across human, animal, and environmental sectors — which includes heightened surveillance programs and data sharing across all member countries..HANNAFORD: How much control do Canadians really want to give the UN?.While these measures aim to address what the WHO considers government failures from the COVID-19 era — such as Canada’s delayed vaccine access in 2020 — they bind signatories to international cooperation, prompting questions about autonomy.Under Trudeau’s Liberal government from 2015 to 2025, Canada’s COVID-19 response shaped public skepticism toward centralized health policies. Trudeau’s administration imposed some of the world’s strictest measures, including mandatory vaccinations for federal employees and travel restrictions that barred unvaccinated Canadians from domestic flights and trains..WHO boss says he didn't dictate COVID response and isn't driving the pandemic accord either.These policies drew criticism for heavy-handed enforcement and economic disruption. Small businesses faced prolonged closures, and protests like the 2022 Freedom Convoy highlighted public frustration with perceived overreach. The Emergencies Act’s invocation to clear convoy protesters further deepened distrust among conservatives, who saw it as an abuse of power. The invocation of the historic Act has since been ruled “unlawful” and “unnecessary” by a federal judge..WHO pushes for pandemic treaty ahead of World Health Assembly.Trudeau’s government — albeit from a different crowd — was also criticized for its mismanagement of vaccine procurement, relying heavily on international suppliers like Pfizer, which delayed Canada’s rollout compared to other Western countries.The WHO says this experience — where some countries, like the UK and the US, had early access to the mRNA shots and others didn’t — underscores the need for global cooperation, which the WHO treaty seeks to address..The United States, which plans to officially leave the WHO next year, did not vote and refuses to participate. US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slammed the WHO in a video response posted to social media. "[The WHO] has doubled down with the pandemic agreement, which will lock in all of the dysfunction of the WHO pandemic response ... We're not going to participate in that," he said.President Donald Trump called the WHO "the public relations agency for China" and "should be ashamed of themselves."China is among one of the WHO's most significant doners, as is billionaire Bill Gates.
