Canada
Who's Who Top
Government
Governmental actors with a direct or indirect role in biosecurity and scientific oversight are included here. This is not a guide to overall governmental structure. Some departments listed here may have only a marginal interest or role in biosecurity. This is a “living” document and comments about the content or any potential omissions are welcome. Please contact webmaster@biosecuritycodes.org.
Office of the Prime Minister
Comment: COMING SOON
Department / Ministry / Agency:
Environment Canada (EC)
Comment: COMING SOON
Foreign Affairs Canada and International Trade Canada (DFAIT)
Comment: DFAIT promotes Canadian security and prosperity in an international context and promotes Canadian values and culture in the international arena. The Non-Proliferation, Arms Control, and Disarmament Division takes the lead policy role in relation to biological weapons (and other weapons of mass destruction).
Division(s) within DFAIT with a role or interest in biosecurity:
Health Canada (HC)
Comment: HC is charged with protecting and improving the health of all Canadians. In order to do this, HC develops health policy, enforces health regulations, promotes disease prevention and enhances healthy living for all Canadians. In order to assist in times of crisis and lead HC in the event of a terror attack, HC established the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
Division(s) within HC with a role or interest in biosecurity:
Industry
Comment: COMING SOON
National Defence (DND)
Comment: Though Canada has renounced the use, production, or stockpiling of any type of biological weapon, DND recognizes that it may be forced to commit troops to a war in which biological weapons are used. Therefore DND has been charged with protecting Canadian forces from biological weapons attacks.
Division(s) within DND with a role or interest in biosecurity:
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (PSEPC)
Comment: COMING SOON
Division(s) within PSEPC with a role or interest in biosecurity:
Transport Canada (TC)
Comment: TC is charged with developing and administering policies, regulations and services to a safe, secure, efficient, affordable, integrated and environmentally friendly transportation system. The Transport Dangerous Goods Directorate is the focal point for the national program to promote public safety during the transportation of dangerous goods, including pathogens.
Division(s) within TC with a role or interest in biosecurity:
Specialized Institutes / Centers:
Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee (CBAC)
Comment: CBAC provides advice to the Canadian federal government on ethical, social, regulatory, economic, scientific, environmental and health aspects of biotechnology.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
Comment: CFIA is responsible for inspecting borders to control of foreign pests and diseases, undertaking food investigations, and performing certification of plants and feeds. In addition, the Biohazard Containment & Safety Division establishes biocontainment procedures and protocols needed to work with certain types of pathogens.
Division(s) within CFIA with a role or interest in biosecurity:
National Academies & Academia
Academic actors and national academies with a direct or indirect role in biosecurity and scientific oversight are included here. Some groups listed here may have only a marginal interest or role in biosecurity. This is a “living” document and comments about the content or any potential omissions are welcome. Please contact webmaster@biosecuritycodes.org.
National Academy:
The Royal Society of Canada
Comment: The Royal Society of Canada is the senior national body of distinguished Canadian scientists and scholars. Its primary objective is to promote learning and research in the arts and sciences through education, outreach, and cooperative programs.
Contact: +1 (613) 991-6990
Academia:
Centre for Medicine, Ethics, and Law: McGill University
Comment: Recognizing that there are a number of ethical and legal issues arising in medical research, the centre aims to provide health researchers with a framework for identifying and dealing with the ethical questions raised by new and ongoing scientific findings and policy demands.
Contact: +1 (514) 398 – 6666
Toronto University Joint Centre for Bioethics
Comment: The centre strives to provide leadership in bioethics research, education, and clinical activities. Though focusing on bioethics for medicine practitioners, their research and experience in policy and codes of conduct are useful while examining dual-use issues in life sciences research.
Contact: + 1 (416) 978-2709
Industry
This list of companies, with significant life sciences interests, illustrates the breadth of impact on industry that any changes in regulations governing the availability of life sciences information would have. This may include limitations on publication openness, control or review of experiments and research, or various other factors arising from the sensitive, dual-use nature of some life sciences work. This is a “living” document and comments about the content or any potential omissions are welcome. Please contact webmaster@biosecuritycodes.org.
Eli Lilly Corporate Centre
Comment: Eli Lilly is a global pharmaceutical company. They have research and development laboratories throughout the world and through this network develop new life saving and cost reducing pharmaceuticals. Contact: + 1 (416) 694 - 3221
Research Institutes & Non-Profits
Institutes and organisations with a direct or indirect role in biosecurity and scientific oversight are included here. Some groups listed here may have only a marginal interest or role in biosecurity. This is a “living” document and comments about the content or any potential omissions are welcome. Please contact webmaster@biosecuritycodes.org.
BIOTECanada
Comment: BIOTECanada is the Canadian national association dedicated to ensuring the long term durability of the Canadian biotech economy and educating the Canadian public about how biotechnology improves their quality of life. Representing various industry sectors as well as other organizations working in the biotechnology field, BIOTECanada attempts to guide biotechnology professionals in areas where established laws are unsuitable. BIOTECanada approaches biotechnology with a mixture of enthusiasm and caution because it recognizes that along with potential and power of biotechnology, there are underlying social issues which need to be addressed. BIOTECanada has developed a Statement of Ethical Principles.
Contact: + 1 (613) 230 – 5585 [ Ottawa ]
Contact: + 1 (416) 979 – 2652 [ Toronto ]
Simons Centre for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Research (SCDNPR): Liu Institute for Global Issues
Comment: The Liu Institute conducts policy-related research on issues of global public policy related to human security. Through its SCDNPR, the Liu Institute researches WMD proliferation and has held conferences on the "current threat" of biological weapons.
Contact: + 1 (604) 822 - 6966 [Fax]
Events Top
This is a list of events relevant to biosecurity. This is a “living” document and comments about the content or any potential omissions are welcome. Please contact webmaster@biosecuritycodes.org.
2008
Canadian Biosafety Symposium
Date: June 1-3, 2008
Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Participant(s): Professionals interested in biosafety and biosecurity
Description: The symposium featurse presentations and posters on an array of biosafety topics, including containment facilities design, maintenance and equipment; laboratory management and operations; animal containment; biosecurity; and, infectious diseases affecting human and animals.
2005
University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics Calls for International Organization to Monitor Biotechnology
Date: 28 February, 2006
Location: Toronto, Canada
Participant(s): University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics
Description: In the report entitled, "DNA for Peace: Reconciling Biodevelopment and Biosecurity," the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics calls for an International Organization to monitor biotechnology. The group concluded that despite biotechnology's promise to improve living standards around the globe, there is a great deal of risk of misuse. They urge the G8 to identify an appropriate organization (similar to the IAEA for atomic energy) to monitor the use of biotechnology so that the risks and benefits are balanced.
2004
Biological Weapons: Coping with the Current Threats
Date: 12 November, 2004
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Participants: Simons Centre for Disarmament and Non-proliferation Research and Guests
Description: This conference brought together experts to discuss the threats posed by biological weapons and the dual use dilemma posed by biotechnology research.
2001
1st Meeting of the Global Health Security Action Group
Date: November 2001
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Participant(s): Ministers/Secretaries/Commissioner of Health and senior health officials from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, Mexico, the European Union and the World Health Organization.
Description: This annual meeting is held to coordinate public health activities throughout the world.
Legislation Top
Below is a select list of laws in Canada. As biosecurity is a relatively new and rapidly developing field, many countries have yet to devise or implement laws specific to biosecurity. Since biosecurity has much in common with national security, biosafety, bioterrorism, biological weapons, import / export of dual-use materials, and biodiversity, some countries may develop biosecurity legislation by adapting existing laws within these other areas. Therefore, biosecurity legislation and other laws that could potentially be used as background for biosecurity legislation are included here.
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Human Pathogens Importation Regulations Act
- Date: 1992
- Comment: Through this act, The Office of Laboratory Security within Health Canada is responsible for regulating biosecurity and biological weapon non-proliferation (as well as biosafety). It also controls and tracks the use of imported dangerous pathogens.
- Criminal Code
- Date: 1985
- Comment: The Criminal code section dealing with "Terrorism" and "Firearms and Other Weapons" describe penalties for the use of biological weapons. This act has been revised numerous times since inception.
Biosecurity Code Examples Top
Below are codes of conduct for life scientists that have been proposed, are in use, or are under development in Canada. If there are any other codes that should be included on this site, please contact webmaster@biosecuritycodes.org.
BIOTECanada Statement of Ethical Principles
Code of Ethics for the Life Sciences (Ron Atlas and Margaret Sommerville)
