Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson. (Government of Alberta/YouTube)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

REQUESTING FLEXIBLE AND SPECIFIC LANGUAGE

Alberta pushes feds for amendments to pandemic preparedness bill, cites risks to agriculture

Oct 25, 2024 | 1:17 PM

The Government of Alberta is asking for amendments to Canada’s Bill C-293, citing that in its current state, it poses notable risks to the province’s agriculture and food industries.

Bill C-293, An Act respecting pandemic prevention and preparedness, is intended to mitigate the risk of and prepare for a potential future pandemic, and is currently going through its second reading in the Senate.

Officials with the province say the bill encroaches on Section 95 of the Constitution, which puts agriculture under the jurisdiction of the provinces and territories. They explain that the bill gives the federal government the ability to close facilities they deem high risk, such as livestock operations and meat processing facilities, and promote lower-risk production options such as alternative proteins.

“Farming is woven into the fabric of our national identity, with modern livestock agriculture playing a vital role. Bill C-293, however, goes so far as to pick winners and losers within the agriculture sector, with potentially wide-reaching, catastrophically damaging regulations and restriction of commercial freedoms for agricultural producers and processors,” commented Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson.

Overall, the government says the bill could threaten global food security and open the door for the Canadian government to tell citizens what they can eat. Additionally, it says the parts of the bill providing the power to shut operations down lacks clear criteria, and could disrupt other agricultural operations linked to them, potentially destabilizing and causing cascading effects through the entire food system.

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Further, the bill mentions the possibility of phasing out farming practices considered to involve high risk species for pandemic propagation, which provincial officials say could alter farm and ranch operations to significantly affect producer and processor livelihoods and negatively impact economic stability.

“Our Alberta family farms are committed to producing safe, high-quality chicken while maintaining the highest standards of biosecurity. We support pandemic preparedness, but Bill C-293 unfairly targets animal agriculture and could threaten the livelihoods of our farm families. We are asking the federal government to ensure this bill is amended so farmers can continue to feed Canadians without facing unnecessary restrictions,” David Hyink, chair of Alberta Chicken Producers said in response to the bill.

Doug Roxburgh, vice-chair of Alberta Beef Producers also commented, saying the organization supports the objectives of pandemic preparedness but takes issue with wording of the document. He also called for amendments to the policy.

Provincial officials further point out that health mitigation strategies proposed in the bill may not align with local health data or reflect specific regional needs. As the planning, management, and organization of health care systems also falls under provincial and territorial responsibility, they add, this would enable the federal government to overreach in its constitutional jurisdiction.

“Local governing bodies are in the best position to create emergency preparedness plans that suit the unique needs of their province and territory,” said Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange. “The federal government should be engaging meaningfully with each jurisdiction on any Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Plan related to Bill C-293 before being implemented.”

To address these concerns, the Government of Alberta has sent a letter to Alberta senators, the ministers of Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, and Health Canada. Minister Sigurdson requested the bill be amended with more flexible language to avoid unintended consequences.

Additionally, the new legislation could be considered unnecessary as Canada already has legislation, animal disease surveillance, and action plans to ensure farm food safety and biosecurity programs to reduce risks associated with zoonotic diseases, the government says.