Bill C-293, also known as the Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Act, aims to improve Canada's ability to prevent and prepare for future pandemics. The bill requires the Minister of Health to create a pandemic prevention and preparedness plan. This plan will outline strategies to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks, identify the causes of pandemic risk, and promote collaboration between different levels of government and Indigenous communities.
The plan will also address the need for training programs, aligned standards for pandemic prevention, and research into infectious diseases. It will support the creation of disease surveillance systems and aim to strengthen local public health and primary care. The plan will also focus on protecting vulnerable populations and essential workers, ensuring access to necessary supplies, and improving communication to the public.
In creating the plan, the Minister of Health will work with other ministers to include information about Canada's manufacturing and communication capacity, measures to reduce antimicrobial resistance and regulate activities that contribute to pandemic risk, steps to protect biodiversity and reduce deforestation, and strategies to support global health equity. The plan will also detail cooperative measures with foreign governments and international organizations and strategies to manage the entry of pathogens into Canada. The Minister of Health must table the plan in Parliament within two years, update it every three years, and publish it on the Department of Health's website.
Finally, the bill also amends the Department of Health Act, requiring the Minister of Health to appoint a national pandemic prevention and preparedness coordinator from within the Public Health Agency of Canada to oversee activities related to the Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Act.
Environmental Protection
The bill includes measures to protect global biodiversity and to halt and reverse global deforestation, as provided by the Minister of Environment.
Foreign Aid
The bill includes a summary of measures that the Minister of Foreign Affairs 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.