441-02564 (Health)

Whereas:

• Parliament has neither discussed nor debated Canada's participation in a proposed World Health Organization (WHO) International Treaty on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (Pandemic Treaty) that is currently being negotiated and due to be signed by May 2024;

• In parallel to the Pandemic Treaty drafting process, hundreds of amendments have been proposed by 16 member states to the International Health Regulations (IHRs), which govern the conduct of countries and provide the legal framework for the WHO to exercise its powers;

• Parliament has neither discussed nor debated the amendments to 5 Articles of the IHR that were adopted by the 75th World Health Assembly on May 27, 2022 and states have 18 months to opt out of these amendments;

• The outcomes of these efforts will give legally binding, "emergency" powers to the WHO, with potential far- reaching impacts on the lives, health and human rights of Canadians; and

• Canada must be careful not to agree to anything that could give away our sovereignty on health care, even if there is tremendous international pressure to do so for the sake of pandemic preparedness.

We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to urgently allow Parliament the opportunity to debate and vote on the amendments to the IHRs that have already been adopted by the 75th World Health Assembly and to allow opportunity for parliamentary scrutiny of the proposed amendments currently being negotiated by WHO delegates.