Canada’s Bill C-293, also labelled as the ‘Vegan Act,’ was introduced in 2022 by the Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith.
The bill was supported by the Liberals and the New Democratic Party (NDP) but was bitterly opposed by the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois and is now in its second reading in the Senate.
Most Canadians are unaware of the details of the bill, which considerably expands the powers of the state in response to future epidemics.
Critics, however, dub the bill as an attempt to regulate personal dietary choices and market dynamics.
Critics also contend that the bill will have a disastrous impact on the agriculture and agri-food sector, which is vital to the national economy and food security.
Authorities can close entities which they consider as high risk, like meatpacking plants, during pandemics, and even call for the consumption of vegetable proteins by Canadians, which is considered absurd.
Interestingly, Bill C-293 has been put forth by Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, who is known for his vegan lifestyle.
Bill C-293, or the Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Act, requires the Minister of Health to establish, in close coordination with other ministers, a pandemic prevention and preparedness plan.
The bill also seeks to amend the Department of Health Act to enable the Minister of Health to create a national pandemic prevention and preparedness coordinator from the Public Health Agency of Canada who will coordinate the activities under the Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Act.
The bill also intends to procure pandemic-related products like vaccines and testing supplies and also calls for communication tools, including contact tracing apps, to control infectious diseases. The bill also entails the creation of alternative proteins and seeks to phase out high-risk activities involving certain species that pose a pandemic risk.
The rationale behind bringing forth the bill is that the expenses of prevention and preparedness measures are insignificant in comparison to the human and economic costs of a pandemic. The bill also highlights the fact that steps taken to prevent the risk of and prepare for future pandemics must also involve transparency and accountability in relation to those efforts.
The bill also highlights the need for learning from previous outbreaks of serious diseases like coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), H1N1 flu, tuberculosis, Zika virus disease, and Ebola virus disease (EVD).
Bill C-293 is before the Senate, and its evolution into law will depend upon approval by the Senate and eventual royal assent. As already mentioned, the bill has the support of the Liberals and NDP but is staunchly opposed by the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois.
