Summary
- The federal Liberals are creating a new agency, Health Emergency Readiness Canada, to enhance Canada’s ability to handle infectious diseases and future pandemics.
- The agency aims to boost the life-sciences sector, provide faster access to vaccines, therapies, and diagnostics, and coordinate efforts between industry and academic researchers.
- Similar to the European Union’s move in 2021, this initiative seeks to learn from past mistakes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Once fully operational, the agency will have an “industrial game plan” for quick research and mobilization during health emergencies.