Pandemic preparedness bill could tighten noose on animal agriculture: industry
October 8, 2024
A federal bill that purports to protect Canada from the next pandemic is drawing fire from the agriculture sector. In a recent editorial titled “Is Bill C-293 Canada’s ‘Vegan Act’?” Sylvain Charlebois, director of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, said the bill “represents an unprecedented governmental intrusion into personal dietary choices and market dynamics.”
Bill C-293 is a private members bill sponsored by Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith. Its stated mandate is to address pandemic prevention and preparedness. Charlebois took issue with a portion of the bill he says has heavy-handed language that could be disastrous for Canada’s agricultural sector.