Source:[1][2] The BCDRC was established more than 20 years ago in response to citizens' requests to be informed about the activities of the Canadian military involving chemical and biological armaments, particularly but not exclusively those at CFB Suffield.
Responding to protests and concerns raised by citizen groups, notably Voice of Women[5] and Science for Peace,[6][7][8] and suspicion over the development of offensive weaponry,[9] the then-Minister of National Defence Perrin Beatty commissioned William H. Barton, a distinguished diplomat and civil servant, to study the activities of the Department of National Defence (DND) in the area of biological and chemical warfare.
The so-called Barton Report of 1988[10] made numerous recommendations, one of which was the establishment of an advisory committee of senior scientists to annually visit DND facilities and review its biological and chemical programs.
However, the threat from such weapons persists and the Government has an obligation to ensure that members of the Canadian Forces are able to protect themselves against them, whether while deployed abroad or while supporting domestic responses to terrorist incidents or other emergencies involving these agents or related materials.
Nevertheless, the Canadian public and the international community have the right to be assured that Canada maintains a strictly defensive capability in regard to such materials and that any research, development or training activities undertaken in this vein are conducted safely.
CF naval, army and air force installations, other DND sites such as the Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit, and such organizations as the Centre for Security Science[12] are also selected for occasional visits.