Summary#
This bill creates National Rabies Awareness Day on September 28 each year and directs the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food to develop a national strategy to combat rabies. The strategy must be prepared in consultation with provinces, Indigenous governing bodies, and northern, remote, and rural communities. It must include measures to improve access to vaccines, surveillance, and community-led prevention. The Minister must table the strategy in Parliament within 2 years and review it within another 2 years (Bill Sections 3, 4, 5–6).
- Creates National Rabies Awareness Day on September 28 each year (Bill Section 3).
- Requires a national rabies strategy with specific objectives, including vaccine access, lay vaccination, and better surveillance (Bill Section 4(1)-(2)).
- Mandates consultation with provinces, Indigenous governing bodies, and northern, remote, and rural communities (Bill Sections 4(1), 6(2)).
- Requires use of a “One Health” approach (a joint human–animal–environment lens) (Bill Section 4(3)(b)).
- Sets deadlines: strategy tabled within 2 years; public posting within 10 days; review and report within 2 years of tabling (Bill Sections 5–6).
What it means for you#
- Households and pet owners
- National Rabies Awareness Day will occur every September 28. Expect public information campaigns, but no change to pet vaccination laws in this bill (Bill Section 3).
- No new fees or fines for pet owners are created by this bill. Any future changes would come through the strategy or separate laws. Data unavailable.
- Residents of northern, remote, and rural communities
- Federal consultations on rabies risks and solutions will be offered. Communities can help shape vaccine delivery and education efforts (Bill Sections 4(1), 4(3)(a)).
- The strategy must include measures to improve access to rabies vaccines and address delivery logistics to northern communities (Bill Section 4(2)(a)).
- Lay rabies vaccination programs (trained non-veterinary vaccinators) may be established where appropriate (Bill Section 4(2)(b)).
- Enhanced surveillance is a required objective, including better access to direct rapid immunohistochemical testing (a lab test for rabies) (Bill Section 4(2)(c)).
- Indigenous governing bodies
- The Minister must offer to collaborate on developing measures in the strategy, where appropriate (Bill Section 4(3)(a)).
- Ongoing consultation is required during the review phase as well (Bill Section 6(2)).
- Animal shelters, rescues, and transport groups
- The strategy must support community-led initiatives to reduce rabies risk and dog aggression, and to address animal overpopulation, including exploring non-surgical contraception (Bill Sections 4(2)(d)-(e)).
- The bill acknowledges risks linked to moving dogs from northern to southern communities in the preamble; the strategy aims to lower those risks through prevention and surveillance (Preamble; Bill Section 4(2)).
- Veterinarians, lay vaccinators, and labs
- Potential roles in lay vaccination programs and expanded diagnostic testing capacity, especially in northern areas (Bill Sections 4(2)(b)-(c)).
- The strategy will monitor international rabies prevention and treatment programs and assess relevance for Canada (Bill Section 4(2)(f)).
- Provinces, territories, and municipalities
- Will be consulted to align the national strategy with existing animal control and public health systems (Bill Section 4(1)).
- No new legal mandates or funding transfers are set in the bill; future responsibilities would depend on the strategy or later agreements. Data unavailable.
- Timeline
- Strategy must be tabled in Parliament within 2 years after the Act comes into force and posted online within 10 days (Bill Sections 5(1)-(2)).
- A review report on effectiveness is due within 2 years after tabling and must also be posted within 10 days of tabling (Bill Sections 6(1), 6(3)).
Expenses#
Estimated net cost: Data unavailable; the bill contains no direct appropriations or new fees.
- No appropriations, fines, or fees are specified in the bill text (Bill Sections 3–6).
- Administrative costs to develop, table, publish, and review the strategy are not estimated in public documents. Data unavailable.
- Any future program costs (e.g., vaccines, surveillance tools, lay vaccinator training, community initiatives) would depend on the strategy’s design and subsequent funding decisions. Data unavailable.
Proponents' View#
- Focuses limited federal effort where risk is highest by requiring measures that improve vaccine access and logistics in northern communities (Bill Section 4(2)(a)).
- Enables faster detection and response through enhanced surveillance and wider use of direct rapid immunohistochemical testing, which supports timely local decisions (Bill Section 4(2)(c)).
- Expands coverage in areas without regular veterinarians by allowing lay rabies vaccination programs where appropriate, potentially increasing vaccination rates in dogs (Bill Section 4(2)(b)).
- Supports community-led prevention, including education to reduce dog aggression and humane overpopulation control, which can lower bite incidents and exposures (Bill Section 4(2)(d)).
- Builds sustained accountability with deadlines to table the strategy within 2 years and to publish and review it, keeping Parliament and the public informed (Bill Sections 5–6).
- Uses a “One Health” approach to coordinate human health, animal health, and environmental factors, reducing duplication and aligning efforts across sectors (Bill Section 4(3)(b)).
Opponents' View#
- Provides no funding details, risking an unfunded strategy that relies on provinces, municipalities, Indigenous communities, and NGOs to carry out measures without new resources (Bill Section 4; no appropriations specified).
- Leaves key program choices to future planning, creating uncertainty about scope, timing, and effectiveness; the 2-year timeline may delay on-the-ground action (Bill Section 5(1)).
- Lay vaccination raises implementation risks, including training, oversight, and liability in remote settings; quality control standards are not defined in the bill (Bill Section 4(2)(b)).
- Enhanced local testing capacity (e.g., direct rapid immunohistochemical testing) requires training and quality assurance; the bill does not set standards or funding for labs (Bill Section 4(2)(c)).
- Could overlap with existing provincial and territorial animal control and public health roles, leading to coordination challenges without clear federal–provincial agreements (Bill Section 4(1)).
- Awareness Day is symbolic and may have limited impact without parallel investments or mandates; the bill does not require provinces or municipalities to change laws or practices (Bill Section 3).