The bill does deal with biosecurity, and post-9/11 many of our allies moved forward with legislation that dealt with biosecurity. We do not currently have any scheme in Canada that focuses on the need to keep inventories or track who has access to the most dangerous pathogens.
We are proposing in the regulatory framework that the security clearance be commensurate with the risk group of the pathogens. For risk group 2 we are not thinking of requiring security clearance, and that applies to the vast majority of laboratories. There are only about 150 of them left that deal with risk groups 3 and 4.
We are thinking of looking at select risk group 3 agents. For example, working with HIV or TB is not the same as working with anthrax, which is also in risk group 3, or the SARS virus, which has disappeared from our human population but is a risk group 3. Through the development of the regulations, that will also be consulted upon with the stakeholders.
In terms of risk group 4, Dr. Plummer and his next-door neighbour have the only level 4 laboratory in the country, and they already do security screening.