Canada’s Enhanced Health Security Measures

October 18, 2001

The Government of Canada announced today the investment of $11.59 million for initiatives to strengthen Health Canada’s ability to respond to any public health security crises that may arise, and enhance the health security of Canadians.

These measures are an important part of the Government’s $280 million Anti-Terrorism Plan – a plan that brings to $1.8 billion the amount the Government of Canada has invested in policing, security and intelligence since Budget 2000.

The measures announced today include:

•  A $ 5.62 million investment to increase the existing stock of pharmaceuticals in the National Emergency Stockpile System. This will mean that Canada will have more antibiotics to treat people exposed to biological agents such as anthrax, and more chemical antidotes for those who have been exposed to chemicals or gases.
•  A $2.24 million investment to purchase sensors and detection equipment for key locations across Canada and establish a database of information which will provide improved responses to radio-nuclear terrorist incidents.
•  A $2.12 million investment to enhance a Canada-wide network of laboratories and better equip them with the necessary materials to quickly diagnose biological agents.
• A $1.61 million investment to provide emergency response training for front-line emergency response staff in order that they might better recognize, diagnose and treat suspicious illnesses resulting from a terrorist incident.

All these initiatives are components of the Government of Canada’s Anti-Terrorism Plan – a plan designed to balance the need for increased security after the events of September 11 with safeguarding Canadian values. The plan has four objectives:

•  to stop terrorists from getting into Canada and protect Canadians from terrorist acts;
•  to bring forward tools to identify, prosecute, convict and punish terrorists;
•  to prevent the Canada-US border from being held hostage by terrorists and impacting on the Canadian economy; and
•  to work with the international community to bring terrorists to justice and address the root causes of such hatred.