OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Canadian government, facing public impatience over the pace of vaccinations for the H1N1 flu, signaled on Tuesday that it might no longer sole-source vaccines for future pandemics.

"As we move forward, just as we have more than one supplier for seasonal (flu vaccine), we'll probably be looking at that as an option (for pandemic vaccines) into the future," Chief Public Health Officer Dr. David Butler-Jones told the Toronto Star newspaper. A spokeswoman confirmed the gist of his remarks.

Canada now relies only on GlaxoSmithKline Plc for its H1N1 vaccine. Though Canada has received more than three times as many doses, on a per capita basis, than the United States, huge, hours-long line-ups have formed in big cities to get the shots.

GlaxoSmithKline produced 2 million vaccines a week for three weeks but this week is cutting back to about half a million because of the requirement that it produce a special variety for pregnant woman.

The United States now has five vaccine suppliers for both seasonal and H1N1 flu, so that if one has a problem there is an alternative source.

In 2004, a Chiron plant in Britain was closed by health inspectors and the United States lost half is flu vaccine supply in one fell swoop.

(Reporting by Randall Palmer; editing by Rob Wilson)