Consultations/Information Sessions

Information for Stakeholders on the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act

Following the tabling of Bill C-54, the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act, in the House of Commons in the spring of 2008, the Office of Laboratory Security of the Public Health Agency of Canada (OLS-PHAC) initiated a series of information sessions with stakeholder groups across the country to provide additional details on the proposed legislation and to answer questions regarding its possible implications for the future of biosafety and biosecurity in Canada.

The Human Pathogens and Toxins Act was re-tabled in Parliament on February 9, 2009 as Bill C-11. The Human Pathogens and Toxins Act has now achieved Royal Assent on June 23, 2009.

Information sessions on Bill C-54 were held in the following cities:

2008
June 4: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
June 13: Laval, Quebec
June 18: Winnipeg, Manitoba
June 26: Montreal, Quebec

2009
February 4: Toronto, Ontario
February 6: Halifax, Nova Scotia
February 9: Vancouver, British Columbia
February 10: Calgary, Alberta

The following materials were developed for the stakeholder information sessions:

Overview of Bill C54 (141 KB, 18 pages)

Overview of Proposed Biosafety Program (139 KB, 19 pages)

Discussion Paper: Potential Program and Regulatory Framework (46KB, 9 pages)