C-349 – National Strategy for the Eradication of Rabies Act – would make September 28th “National Rabies Awareness Day” and establish a national strategy to combat rabies, with a focus on domesticated animals.
First up is a quick note that this Bill is mostly relevant to northern, remote, and rural regions of the country. It calls out that rabies circulates pretty heavily in wildlife populations in those regions, especially with the Arctic fox and red fox, and that those regions also have limited access to veterinary services. This makes it difficult to protect domestic animals from rabies, and C-349 would address this.
National Rabies Awareness Day
First up, as mentioned earlier C-329 would declare September 28th to be National Rabies Awareness Day.
National Rabies Strategy
Next up we have the core of C-329, the actual strategy to fight rabies. The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food will be responsible for this, and as always will be expected to consult with provincial representatives, Indigenous governing bodies, representatives from northern/remote/rural communities, and any other relevant stakeholders when developing the strategy.
The strategy will need to include measures for the following:
- Supporting better access to rabies vaccines and finding solutions to the logistical issues of delivering it
- Establishing “lay rabies vaccination programs” where appropriate (This is a program where someone other than a vet, such as any local healthcare provider or anyone else that might qualify, is trained on providing the rabies vaccine to household pets. It’s useful in places that don’t have regular access to a vet and rely on travelling vaccination programs)
- Enhancing rabies surveillance abilities in northern communities, specifically by improving access to testing
- Supporting community-led initiatives to reduce the risk and spread of rabies, and address animal overpopulation where appropriate
- Studying the barriers to the use of non-surgical contraception for animals, especially dogs
- Monitoring international developments in rabies treatment and prevention programs
While making this strategy the Minister will need to collaborate with Indigenous communities and the other communities most affected by this, and will need to use an approach that focuses on human, animal, and ecosystem health and welfare.
The Minister will have two years to create this strategy and its effectiveness will be reviewed every two years after that.
Progress
C-349 is currently waiting to be added to the Order of Precedence.