Question Period Note: Government Support for the Life Sciences Sector

How is the Government of Canada supporting the life sciences sector?

• Growing Canada’s life sciences and biomanufacturing sector is a priority that goes beyond responding to COVID-19.

• Budget 2021 provides a total of $2.2 billion over seven years to build Canada’s talent pipeline and research systems, and foster the growth of Canadian life sciences firms.

• The Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy will coordinate actions and investments across departments and agencies to support Canada’s long-term pandemic resilience through the growth of the domestic life sciences sector.

• The Government will work collaboratively with provinces, territories, and other partners to deliver real results on what Canadians need.

• The government is supporting research with $750 million in funding over four years for bioscience infrastructure at universities and research hospitals and a new bio-medical research fund.

• A new clinical trials fund will also be supported with $250 million over three years.

• The government has also committed an additional $1 billion over the next seven years for promising domestic life sciences and biomanufacturing companies through the Strategic Innovation Fund.

• Additionally, $92 million is slated for adMare BioInnovations to support company creation, scale-up and training activities.

• Beginning in 2022–23, the Stem Cell Network will have access to $45 million over three years to support stem cell and regenerative medicine research.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the government has provided funding of more than $1.2 billion for 28 COVID-19 biomanufacturing, vaccines and therapeutic projects across Canada.

Of this, $792 million is being delivered via the Strategic Innovation Fund, with a total of 11 projects announced across three areas. Additional funds were provided through the National Research Council, the Next Generation Manufacturing Canada supercluster, Regional Development Agencies, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canada Foundation for Innovation and other granting partners.

In March 2021, the government announced a new partnership with Sanofi Pasteur to build an end-to-end influenza vaccine manufacturing facility capable of drug production formulation, fill-and-finish and inspection in Toronto. This is a federal investment of up to $415 million, in addition to Sanofi’s $455 million investment.

In July 2021, ISED released the Biomanufacturing and Life Science Strategy, following stakeholder consultations held by ISED, Health Canada, PHAC and members of the Vaccine Task Force on rebuilding the domestic biomanufacturing sector. The strategy identifies five pillars to improve Canada’s long-term pandemic resilience and promote growth in the domestic life-sciences sector:

(1) Coordinating governance
(2) Strengthening Canada’s research systems and talent pipeline
(3) Growing Canada’s life sciences and biomanufacturing sector
(4) Operationalizing the NRC’s Biologics Manufacturing Centre and considering the need for a national centre
(5) Ensuring best-in-class regulation and a world-class clinical trials system.