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FederalIn Progress45th Parliament, 1st Session

Bill S-247 explained in plain English

An Act to establish a national framework on food allergy

Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Federal Parliament
Legislature / Parliament
Parliament of Canada
Session
45th Parliament, 1st Session
Bill number
Bill S-247
Full title
An Act to establish a national framework on food allergy
Current status
In Progress
Latest event
At second reading in the Senate
Last updated
May 7, 2026

Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 45th Parliament, 1st Session. MP vote breakdowns appear when the House of Commons publishes a recorded division export for that bill. Senate and House stage details include official debate/sitting links when LEGISinfo publishes them.

Chamber
Parliament of Canada
Current Stage
At second reading in the Senate
Latest Activity
May 7, 2026
Plain-language explanation
In plain English (our explanation)

Our plain-language take, written for civic education.

Source: By PoliticalData.ca

AI-assisted, reviewed before publishing
Short Version

Bill S-247 would establish a national framework to improve the management and prevention of food allergies in Canada through coordinated action by governments, healthcare providers, and stakeholders.

What It Means

Bill S-247 would create a national framework to address food allergies in Canada. The framework would focus on improving access to healthcare for people with food allergies, promoting early introduction of allergens to children, ensuring availability of life-saving medications like epinephrine, and improving public awareness about food allergies. It would also support research and collaboration between federal, provincial, and territorial governments, Indigenous groups, healthcare professionals, and patient organizations.

What This Bill Does
  • Requires the federal Minister of Health to consult with provinces, territories, Indigenous groups, healthcare professionals, and patient organizations to develop a national framework on food allergies (Section 3).
  • Mandates the framework to include measures such as improving access to allergist care, promoting early allergen introduction for children, ensuring availability of epinephrine, improving food ingredient labeling, and increasing public awareness (Section 4).
  • Establishes a 15-member advisory board to provide guidance on the framework's development and implementation (Section 5).
  • Requires the Minister to table a report on the framework within 18 months of the bill coming into force and a second report on its effectiveness three years later (Section 6).
Who Is Affected
  • People with food allergies and their families
  • Healthcare providers (e.g., allergists, emergency responders)
  • Food industry stakeholders (e.g., manufacturers, restaurants)
  • Provincial and territorial governments
  • Indigenous communities and organizations
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not specify exact timelines for implementing the framework's recommendations beyond the initial report deadlines.
  • It does not create new laws or funding mechanisms, relying instead on consultation and reporting processes.
  • The effectiveness of the framework depends on cooperation between federal, provincial, and territorial governments, which is not guaranteed.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Food and Drugs Act
The bill may influence regulations under this act related to food labeling and medication availability, but does not directly amend the act itself.

The bill could lead to changes in how food ingredients are labeled and how medications like epinephrine are made available, but it does not directly change the Food and Drugs Act.

Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.

Official text

Parliamentary Process

Step 1
First reading
May 5, 2026
Completed

The Senate completed the first reading of Bill S-247 on May 5, 2026, advancing it to the second reading stage for debate on May 7, 2026.

Introduction and first reading, May 5, 2026
Introduction and first reading, May 5, 2026
End of stage activity, May 5, 2026
Chamber sittings
Introduction and first reading - May 5, 2026

The Senate debated proposals for a National Health and Fitness Day, reforms to physical activity policy, wartime service recognition, and Ethics Committee changes on May 5, 2026, without reaching formal decisions.

Step 2
Second reading
May 7, 2026
In progress

Bill S-247 is in the Senate's second reading stage as of May 7, 2026, with debate and a sponsor's speech delivered but no legal changes enacted yet.

Chamber sittings
Debate at second reading - May 7, 2026

The local model returned a partial structured draft. This summary requires human review before publication.

The Senate debated Indigenous Services, residential schools, and technology impacts on committees, with discussions centered on government responses and proposed motions.

Step 3
Third reading
Not reached yet
Not reached

Bill S-247, aimed at establishing a national food allergy framework, is currently at the Second Reading stage in the Senate and has not yet proceeded to Third Reading.

Step 1
First reading
Not reached yet
Not reached

Bill S-247 has not yet had its First Reading in the House of Commons and is currently at the second reading stage in the Senate.

Step 2
Second reading
Not reached yet
Not reached

Bill S-247 has not yet reached the second reading stage in the House of Commons, with the latest procedural activity being a Senate debate on the bill.

Step 3
Consideration in committee
Not reached yet
Not reached

Bill S-247, aiming to establish a national framework on food allergy, has a procedural stage noted as 'House of Commons Consideration in committee' but this stage has not yet been reached, while the bill is currently at second reading in the Senate.

Step 4
Report stage
Not reached yet
Not reached

Bill S-247, concerning a national framework on food allergy, is awaiting its Report stage in the House of Commons, with the latest activity being a second reading debate in the Senate.

Step 5
Third reading
Not reached yet
Not reached

Bill S-247, aiming to establish a national food allergy framework, has progressed to the House of Commons Third Reading stage, though this stage is yet to occur, while its current active stage is Second Reading in the Senate following a debate on May 7, 2026.

Debate and sitting links point to official parliamentary sources when LEGISinfo publishes them. Any plain-language discussion summaries should be generated from those official texts and reviewed before public display.

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.

Sponsor
Andrew Cardozo
Senator | Progressive Senate Group (PSG) | Ontario
Jurisdiction
Federal Parliament

No published representative vote breakdown

This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.

Official sources

Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.

How this data is sourced