Bill C-293: An Act respecting pandemic prevention and preparedness

Short Title Short title 1 This Act may be cited as the Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Act . Purpose of Act Purpose 2 The purpose of this Act is to prevent the risk of and prepare for future pandemics and to promote transparency and accountability in relation to the Government of Canada’s efforts to do so. Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Plan Pandemic prevention and preparedness plan 3 (1) The Minister of Health must establish a pandemic prevention and preparedness plan. Plan — contents (2) The pandemic prevention and preparedness plan must (a) set out a summary of mitigation strategies that the Minister of Health intends to implement in order to prevent the risk of and prepare for disease outbreaks that could lead to pandemics, as well as a projected timeline for their implementation; (b) identify the key drivers of pandemic risk and describe how Canadian activities, domestic and abroad, contribute to the risk; (c) ensure sustained collaboration between the Minister of Health and provincial governments and Indigenous communities in the development of the plan in order to align approaches and address any jurisdictional challenges, including with respect to the collection and sharing of data; (d) provide for training programs, including collaborative activities, with other levels of government, Indigenous communities and relevant agencies; (e) ensure that standards and guidelines that pertain to the prevention of and response to pandemic risk are aligned with the approach described in para­ graph (3)(a); (f) describe the state of research in relation to preventing and responding to infectious diseases that could lead to pandemics; (g) provide for the establishment and interlinking of surveillance systems for infectious diseases in Canada and for infectious diseases of concern outside Canada; (h) support local public health and primary care capacity building; (i) identify preparedness strategies for public health services across Canada including in respect of (i) the protection of vulnerable and marginalized populations, (ii) working conditions of essential workers across all sectors, (iii) the availability and management of relevant stockpiles, including testing equipment and personal protective equipment, (iv) the surge capacity of human resources required for the testing and contact tracing of persons exposed to infectious diseases, and (v) communication of risk to the public; (j) provide for measures, including training, to increase the ability of healthcare workers in a range of settings to manage sudden and unexpected increases in patient volume; (k) include the following information, to be provided by the Minister of Industry: (i) the manufacturing capacity in Canada with respect to any product relevant to pandemic preparedness, including vaccines, testing equipment and personal protective equipment, and the measures that the Minister of Industry intends to take to address any supply chain gaps identified, and (ii) the communications capacity and infrastructure for electronic platforms and tools, including electronic applications that enable contact tracing of persons exposed to infectious diseases that could lead to pandemics; (l) after consultation with the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Minister of Industry and provincial governments, provide for measures to (i) reduce the risks posed by antimicrobial resistance, (ii) regulate commercial activities that can contribute to pandemic risk, including industrial animal agriculture, (iii) promote commercial activities that can help reduce pandemic risk, including the production of alternative proteins, and (iv) phase out commercial activities that disproportionately contribute to pandemic risk, including activities that involve high-risk species; (m) include the following information, to be provided by the Minister of the Environment: (i) after consultation with relevant provincial ministers, a summary of changes in land use in Canada, including in relation to disturbed habitats, that could contribute to pandemic risk, such as deforestation, encroachment on wildlife habitats and urbanization and that were made, in the case of the first plan, since the last report on changes in land use published under the Federal Sustainable Development Act or, in the case of the updated plans, during the reporting period for the updated plan, (ii) a summary of the measures the Minister of the Environment intends to take to reduce the risk that the commercial wildlife trade in Canada and abroad will lead to a pandemic, including measures to regulate or phase out live animal markets, and (iii) a summary of the measures the Minister of the Environment intends to take to protect global biodiversity and to halt and reverse global deforestation; (n) include a summary, to be provided by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, of the measures that that minister intends to take to support global health equity, including measures to increase public health capacity around the world and to ensure equitable access to vaccines, testing equipment and treatment; (o) set out, in consultation with relevant ministers, a summary of key cooperative measures or agreements on disease outbreak prevention and preparedness between the Government of Canada, other foreign governments and key international organizations, including the World Health Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Organization for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; and (p) set out, in consultation with the Minister of Transport, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and other relevant ministers, the routes by which and rates at which pathogens that could lead to pandemics could enter Canada and a summary of border-related measures that would be implemented to reduce any risk. Considerations (3) When establishing the plan under subsection (1) or when providing the required information under subsection (2), the Minister of Health or the ministers referred to in subsection (2), as the case may be, must (a) use a multisectoral and multidisciplinary collaborative approach, known as a One Health approach, that focuses on the human, animal, plant and ecosystem health and welfare interface; (b) take into account the best scientific information available; (c) leverage international expertise by using internationally developed metrics for pandemic prevention and preparedness, when applicable; and (d) take into account the recommendations made by the advisory committee following its review of the response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Canada. Tabling (4) Within two years after the day on which this Act comes into force, the Minister of Health must prepare a report setting out the plan and cause it to be tabled in each House of Parliament on any of the first 15 days on which that House is sitting after it is completed. Publication (5) The Minister of Health must publish the report on the website of the Department of Health within 10 days after it has been tabled in both Houses of Parliament. Updated plan 4 (1) The Minister of Health must update the pandemic prevention and preparedness plan at least once every three years and cause a report setting out the updated plan to be tabled in each House of Parliament on any of the first 15 days on which that House is sitting after it is completed. Updated plan — contents (2) In the updated plan, the Minister of Health must (a) report on the progress that has been made towards preventing pandemic risk and improving preparedness efforts in Canada; (b) in collaboration with the relevant ministers, provide any relevant updates on the information described under subsection 3(2); and (c) take into account the considerations set out in subsection 3(3). Publication (3) The Minister of Health must publish the report on the website of the Department of Health within 10 days after it has been tabled in both Houses of Parliament. 1996, c. 8 Amendment to the Department of Health Act 5 The Department of Health Act is amended by adding the following after section 4.1: National coordinator — pandemic prevention and preparedness 4.11 For the purpose of coordinating the activities under the Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Act , the Minister shall appoint a national pandemic prevention and preparedness coordinator from among the officials of the Public Health Agency of Canada and delegate to the coordinator the powers, duties and functions that the Minister considers appropriate.