Bill C-293, the Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Act, was proposed back in 2022 and reached the second reading stage in the Senate this week. As it has progressed through Parliament, the private member’s bill has been gaining more attention from producer groups and the general public on social media.
The bill has garnered attention due to its wording around potential restrictions and changes to agricultural methods and policy.
With phrases such as “promote commercial activities that can help reduce pandemic risk, including the production of alternative proteins” and “regulate commercial activities that can contribute to pandemic risk, including industrial animal agriculture,” there are major concerns the bill brought forward by Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith could lead to restrictions on livestock production.
The Government of Alberta, with representatives from Alberta Chicken Producers, Alberta Beef Producers and Alberta Pork held a press conference this week, to say that while being prepared for the next pandemic is important, the wording of this particular bill is worrisome.
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The question was posed as to why opposition is being expressed towards this bill now instead of two years ago. In response, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, RJ Sigurdson said “we’ve heard over and over again from our livestock producers that there need to be changes to this bill, the overall impact, and for investor confidence. We talk about food security and safety, and this doesn’t, in our opinion, help at all… and also the impact of what this means to Canadians overall on food affordability. This is why we’re coming to the microphone right now. It’s a call to action to the federal government to come back to the table and work with our livestock producers to make changes.”
Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said local governing bodies are in the best position to create emergency preparedness plans and that the federal government should be engaging with each jurisdiction when it comes to any Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Plan related to Bill C-293 before being implemented.
All three producer groups have expressed concern over the language of the bill and potential restrictions that could be placed on animal agriculture if the bill were to pass into law. During the press conference, the industry groups stated that Albertan producers hold to the highest standards of biosecurity, food safety and quality, and that they are therefore requesting the bill be amended by the Senate so that farms are not unfairly impacted.
Related:
Animal activists’ demands in Bill C-293 a Trojan horse tactic against meat sectors, says CFA
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