Four GM Epalzeorhynchos frenatum added

Summary#

Order 2024-112-09-01 Amending the Domestic Substances List adds four genetically modified living organisms (mask-coded entries) to the Domestic Substances List under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The order came into force on its registration date, December 2, 2024, which means those organisms are no longer treated as “new” under notification rules.

What it does#

• Adds these four masked entries to Part 7 of the Domestic Substances List:
  • 19712-0 — a genetically modified Epalzeorhynchos frenatum descended from “Blue Shark 0” with multiple copies of constructs expressing a chromoprotein and a blue fluorescent protein.
  • 19713-1 — a genetically modified Epalzeorhynchos frenatum descended from “Green Shark 0” with multiple copies of a construct expressing a green fluorescent protein.
  • 19714-2 — a genetically modified Epalzeorhynchos frenatum descended from “Orange Shark 0” with multiple copies of a construct expressing an orange fluorescent protein.
  • 19715-3 — a genetically modified Epalzeorhynchos frenatum descended from “Purple Shark 0” with multiple copies of a construct expressing a far‑red fluorescent protein.
• As a result, these organisms are no longer subject to the New Substances Notification Regulations (Organisms) for being “new” to Canada.

Who's affected#

• The companies or people who manufactured or imported these specific organisms into Canada and who filed the notifications.
• Businesses that handle or sell these organisms in Canada (for example, firms that would otherwise need to follow new‑substance notification rules).
• It is not clear from the order whether any particular public groups or Indigenous communities are directly affected; the federal assessment said no new regulatory requirements or treaty impacts arise from simply listing these organisms.

Why it matters#

• For businesses: it removes the administrative step of treating these four organisms as new substances, which can make it easier to continue importing, manufacturing, or using them in Canada.
• For the public: the change is administrative — the government says the ministers reviewed information before adding them to the list — but listing is not a safety endorsement and does not remove other legal requirements that might apply.
• The addition took effect on December 2, 2024, so the organisms have been on the Domestic Substances List since that date.