A former top health official who oversaw the distribution of expired COVID-19 vaccines has been appointed to the Order of Canada.Blacklock's Reorter says Stephen Lucas, the retired deputy minister of health, was recognized on the July 1 honours list for what Rideau Hall described as his “leadership as deputy minister of health during the COVID19 pandemic.” The citation praised Lucas as a “retired public servant and accomplished government leader” whose “contributions have had a lasting impact on Canadians.”Lucas came under fire in 2021 after admitting his department relabeled expired AstraZeneca vaccines for public use. .Appearing before the Commons health committee, he said the doses were extended beyond their original May 31 expiry based on new data from the manufacturer. “AstraZeneca doses that were to have expired May 31, subject to a request from AstraZeneca in providing data, (did) extend that expiry a month,” Lucas testified.“You guys just changed the expiry date,” said Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner at the time. “It was a little misleading.” Lucas did not respond.Despite the use of expired vaccines, federal auditors later revealed that $1.2 billion worth of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments were discarded unused. .According to Public Accounts tabled December 17, 2024, the Public Health Agency recorded the write-down as pandemic-related costs wound down. It marked the largest disclosed figure for vaccine wastage to date.Earlier estimates from the Auditor General in a 2022 report pegged vaccine losses at around $1 billion, with an estimated $5 billion spent overall, or roughly $30 per dose, under contracts that remain confidential.Lucas was one of three prominent pandemic officials named to the Order of Canada. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, was cited for her “commitment to health equity” and national leadership during the pandemic. Dr. Bonnie Henry, British Columbia’s chief medical officer, was also honoured for guiding the province’s response to COVID-19.
