Today, the Government of Canada announced that the amendments to the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act (HPTA) received Royal Assent. These amendments are key to modernizing and strengthening biosecurity oversight for scientific research and maintaining Canada's ability to rapidly respond to emerging threats.
The HPTA regulates the use and possession of human pathogens and toxins across all sectors, including research at universities and hospitals, vaccine development in the pharmaceutical industry and quality control in the food industry. Research with human pathogens and toxins can lead to important scientific breakthroughs but also requires strong security measures to prevent misuse. The measures announced today will allow the people who work with human pathogens and toxins to do so more safely and securely.
These measures will also allow the Government of Canada to strengthen safeguards and mitigation measures against potential incidents with human pathogens and toxins, and bolster national resilience and emergency preparedness - all while continuing to enable and support Canadian researchers and investments made in Canada's life sciences and biomanufacturing sectors.
