A renowned food analyst has sounded the alarm on “pandemic prevention and preparedness” legislation that would regulate meat production on farms and in industrial plants and mandate vegetarian diets in ‘emergencies’. Private member’s bill C-293, An Act respecting pandemic prevention and preparedness, was introduced in 2022 by Liberal backbencher MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith. It would “regulate commercial activities that can contribute to pandemic risk, including industrial animal agriculture” and enforce the “production of alternative proteins.”.Feds poll Canadians to see if they would give up meat to fight climate change . The bill on September 17 began its second reading in the Senate. The House of Commons completed its third reading of C-293 June 5. The NDP supported the Liberals in pushing it through, while the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois opposed it. It was then passed onto the Senate, which completed its first reading the next day, on June 6. It is unclear when the second reading will be completed. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while speaking at the UN General Assembly on Sunday restated Canada’s commitment to global Agenda 2030 agreements on sustainability, which include reducing industrial meat production and introducing more “novel meat alternatives.” .WATCH: Trudeau recommits to Agenda 2030 targets at UN General Assembly.Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, scientific director at the Agri‑Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor podcast, aghast at how the bill passed through the Commons with such “little resistance,” warned that while the bill purports to defend against the next pandemic, “a deeper analysis exposes provisions that could disastrously impact the agriculture and agri-food sector, which are vital to our national economy and food security.”“Under this bill, public health officials could have the authority to close facilities they consider ‘high risk,’ such as meatpacking plants, during pandemics and even ‘mandate’ the consumption of vegetable proteins by Canadians — measures that border on the absurd,” wrote Charlebois in an op-ed published Wednesday in the Toronto Sun. “It’s hardly surprising that the private member who introduced Bill C-293 is Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, who is known for his vegan lifestyle.” “One of the most alarming aspects of Bill C-293 is the discretionary power it would grant to officials to shut down agricultural facilities without clear, objective criteria. Such arbitrary actions could disrupt not only meat supply chains but also the wider agricultural operations linked to them, including feed production. This threatens to destabilize related sectors and could trigger cascading effects throughout the entire food system.” .The bill not only could stop or slow down meat production, but compel Canadians to consume meat alternatives, commonly made from vegetable proteins, soy and other fillers. This “represents an unprecedented governmental intrusion into personal dietary choices and market dynamics,” wrote Charlebois. He further warned this bill would be highly consequential economically for Canada’s agriculture sector and would “adversely affect everyone from livestock producers to participants in traditional protein markets.”“Additionally, the bill seeks to regulate and possibly phase out certain farming practices considered high-risk for pandemic propagation. This could abruptly alter farming operations, affect livelihoods, and hinder the economic stability of numerous producers, making a transition to purportedly safer practices impractical,” he wrote. .The Senate received over a hundred letters a day from citizens and organizations decrying Bill C-293 said Charlebois. The matter has been circulating increasingly on social media, with petition pages launched and information packets and sample letters made available to send senators. .WATCH: Trudeau's carbon tax forces second-generation Alberta farmer to give up family farm.A concern tantamount to the bill itself Charlebois said is the fact C-293 passed through the House under the radar and with "ease."It "highlights a disconcerting disconnection and dysfunction within our parliament, where normally, proposals of such magnitude would undergo extensive debate and scrutiny,” he wrote, emphasizing the bill's potential to "significantly expand governmental powers in response to future pandemics.”“Bill C-293 reflects broader concerns about the state of our democracy and the level of public awareness in Canada."“The Senate must decisively reject this bill.”
