Briefings to government
Proposals on GMO regulation jeopardize safety and remove transparency
April 2022. Briefing for Members of Parliament on the proposals from Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to exempt some genetically engineered foods and seeds from regulation, and on concerns over their impacts.
MP Briefing: Regulatory guidance proposals on gene edited foods and seeds
October, 2021. Health Canada and the CFIA are proposing to exempt many new genetically engineered foods and plants from government safety assessments and government oversight: Genetically engineered plants that have no foreign DNA – many of which would be produced through the new genetic engineering techniques of genome editing, also called gene editing – would be exempt from regulation if product developers do not determine a food safety or environmental safety risk.
CBAN comments to CFIA: Guidance for determining whether a plant is subject to Part V of the Seeds Regulations
September 7, 2021. CBAN response to the consultation questionnaire on CFIA proposed guidance for determining whether a plant is subject to Part V of the Seeds Regulations. The regulatory guidance proposed is in conflict with CFIA’s responsibility “to safeguard food safety, protect the health of plants and animals in Canada, and support market access both now and in the future.”
CBAN Comments to Health Canada re: primer on gene editing
June 23, 2021. Comments submitted by the CBAN to the Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Food Directorate, Health Canada RE: primer on gene editing, in the consultation on proposed new guidance pieces for the Novel Foods Regulations. The primer does not provide a scientific rationale for the regulatory guidance proposals. It does not reflect a rigorous scientific literature review nor the most current scientific knowledge – It is insubstantial, incomplete, imprecise, and inappropriate.
CBAN Comments to Health Canada: Consultation on Novel Food Regulatory Guidance
May 11, 2021. Comments submitted by the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network to the Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Food Directorate, Health Canada RE: Consultation: Proposed new guidance pieces for the Novel Foods Regulations, focused on plant breeding. CBAN is writing to object to the regulatory guidance proposals put forward by Health Canada relating to foods from genetically engineered plants.
Brief for House of Commons Agriculture Committee hearings on public trust
April 2019. Following testimony from the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network on April 4, 2019. Brief submitted to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food study on “Public Perception of and Public Trust in the Canadian Agricultural Sector”: Three Recommendations for Building Public Trust in Canadian Regulation of Genetic Engineering.
GM Alfalfa Contamination in the US and Canada
May 2017. Because alfalfa is a perennial plant pollinated by bees, GM contamination of non-GM alfalfa is unavoidable. This briefing is a summary of the routes of contamination with alfalfa as well as documented GM alfalfa contamination incidents.
Labelling Genetically Modified Foods
May 2017. Summary of arguments for mandatory labelling of genetically modified (GM) foods in Canada, including polling results. “Mandatory labelling of genetically modified (GM) foods is necessary to provide transparency for Canadians.”
Will PEI be the site of the world’s first GM fish factory?
April 25, 2017. Just one year after telling the province that its new facility at Rollo Bay would not have any genetically modified (GM, also called genetically engineered) salmon, the company AquaBounty is now asking the PEI government to approve construction of the world’s first GM fish factory.
GMOs in Canada: At a Glance
May 2017. You can share this briefing with your Member of Parliament, or others. A one-page, double-sided summary of the status of GMOs in Canada and the current issues of concern.
