Alert level: green OPQ: Q-669 Session: 451 Suggested file name: Biosecurity_threats_pathogens_and_LABS_in_Canada Tabled on: January 26, 2026 Agencies: Estimated questions: 25 Estimated responses: 25 Original filename: Q-669 - Biosecurity threats, pathogens and LABS in Canada, January 26, 2026.pdf External links / references: (none detected) Extracted PDF text preview: Q-669 Question With regard to the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development and the Department of National Defence: (a) what biosecurity threats has Canada identied from 2019 and emerging in the near future; (b) what pathogens were under investigation by the government between 2019 and 2025, and, for each instance, what was the (i) name of the pathogen, (ii) date of the investigation, (iii) department investigating the pathogen, (iv) result of the investigation; (c) what counter-measures are in place or planned to address biosecurity threats or the specic pathogens in (b); (d) how many biosecurity or biosafety laboratories are located in Canada, where are these laboratories located and at what biosafety laboratory levels do they operate; (e) does the government approve or authorize (i) gain-of-function research, (ii) bioweapons or biodefence research; (f) if the answer to (e) is armative, which Canadian laboratories conduct (i) gain-of- function research, (ii) bioweapons or biodefence research; (g) if the answer to (e) is negative, does Canada collaborate with other nations to conduct (i) gain-of-function research, (ii) bioweapons or biodefence research; (h) if Canada collaborates with other nations as per (g), which nations are involved, and when were these collaborative relationships established; (i) what international agreements or treaties related to biosecurity, gain-of-function, or biodefence research is Canada party to, and how does the government ensure compliance with these commitments; (j) what oversight mechanisms, standards and audit processes does the government apply to biosecurity and biosafety laboratories; (k) how many laboratory incidents involving human pathogens or toxins have been reported in Canada in the last ve years, and what actions were taken in response; (l) what penalties or enforcement mechanisms are in place for conducting unauthorized gain-of-function or bioweapons research in Canada; and (m) did the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development or the Department of National Defence assess COVID-19 or SARS-COV-2 as being a bioweapon with respect to international biological weapons conventions, and, if so, what actions were taken and by whom, or, if not, why not? Response This response was tabled in the House of Commons on January 26, 2026, as Sessional Paper 8555-451-669. Order/Address of the House of Commons Tabled on January 26, 2026 Sessional Paper 8555-451-669 House of Commons Global Affairs Canada Reply by: the Minister of Foreign Affairs Name of Signatory: Parliamentary Secretary Rob Oliphant Reply Global Affairs Canada (a) what biosecurity threats has Canada identied from 2019 and emerging in the near future? Since 2019, Global Affairs Canada has identified, through various fora, research security, biological weapons proliferation by both state and non-state actors, agroterrorism, emerging biotechnologies/dual-use research of concern and biological threats in Africa (posed by zoonotic infectious disease outbreaks and lack of core capabilities to handle and safeguard high- consequence pathogens) as current and emerging threats. National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships Biological and Chemical Defence Review Committee 2023 Annual Report Building resilience against agro-terrorism and agro-crime Reducing biorisks posed by life sciences research with dual-use potential (b) what pathogens were under investigation by the government between 2019 and 2025, and, for each instance, what was the (i) name of the pathogen, (ii) date of the investigation, (iii) department investigating the pathogen, (iv) result of the investigation? It is not within Global Affairs Canada’s mandate to investigate pathogens. Therefore, Global Affairs Canada does not have any information on this subject. Question number Q-669 Asked by Cheryl Gallant (Algonquin—Renfrew— Pembroke) Date asked December 8, 2025 Presented by Kevin Lamoureux Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (c) what counter-measures are in place or planned to address biosecurity threats or the specic pathogens in (b)? It is not within Global Affairs Canada’s mandate to investigate pathogens. Therefore, Global Affairs Canada does not have any information on this subject. (d) how many biosecurity or biosafety laboratories are located in Canada, where are these laboratories located and at what biosafety laboratory levels do they operate? It is not within Global Affairs Canada’s mandate to regulate biosecurity or biosafety laboratories. Therefore, Global Affairs Canada does not have any information on this subject. (e) does the government approve or authorize (i) gain-of-function research, (ii) bioweapons or biodefence research? It is not within Global Affairs Canada’s mandate to regulate laboratories conducting gain-of-function research or bio-defense research. Therefore, Global Affairs Canada does not have any information on this subject. Bioweapons research is prohibited under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and in Canada under the Criminal Code and the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act . (f) if the answer to (e) is armative, which Canadian laboratories conduct (i) gain-of-function research, (ii) bioweapons or biodefence research? It is not within Global Affairs Canada’s mandate to regulate domestic laboratories conducting gain-of-function research or bio-defense research. Therefore, Global Affairs Canada does not have any information on this subject. Bioweapons research is prohibited under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and in Canada under the Criminal Code and the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act . (g) if the answer to (e) is negative, does Canada collaborate with other nations to conduct (i) gain-of-function research, (ii) bioweapons or biodefence research? It is not within Global Affairs Canada’s mandate to regulate collaborations on gain-of-function research or bio-defense research. Therefore, Global Affairs Canada does not have any information on this subject. Bioweapons research is prohibited under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and in Canada under the Criminal Code and the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act . (h) if Canada collaborates with other nations as per (g), which nations are involved, and when were these collaborative relationships established? It is not within Global Affairs Canada’s mandate to regulate collaborations on gain-of-function research or bio-defense research. Therefore, Global Affairs Canada does not have any information on this subject. Bioweapons research is prohibited under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and in Canada under the Criminal Code and the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act . (i) what international agreements or treaties related to biosecurity, gain-of-function, or biodefence research is Canada party to, and how does the government ensure compliance with these commitments? With regards to international agreements or treaties related to biosecurity, first and foremost, Canada is a State Party to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, more commonly known as the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. The Convention does not currently have a verification mechanism; however Canada submits annual Confidence-Building Measures through the Convention, which are publicly available in both official languages and contains, among other information, declarations on Canada’s relevant research centres and laboratories, national biological defence research and development programs, outbreaks of infectious diseases and similar occurrences caused by toxins, legislation, regulations, and other measures, past activities in offensive and/or defensive biological research and development programs and vaccine production facilities. Canada’s domestic legisla