October 18, 2001 -- By a vote of 126 to 91, members of Canada's Parliament October 17, 2001, voted down a bill that would have required mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods.

BioteCanada, the national biotechnology association, commended Members of Parliament for defeating Bill C-287 during its second reading."The labeling of genetically modified food is a
serious and complex issue," said Janet Lambert, BioteCanada president. "Bill C-287 did little to promote thoughtful debate. In fact, it proposed a very narrow option of mandatory
labelling."

"We are disappointed, but not surprised," says Nadège Adam, biotechnology campaigner for the Council of Canadians, which supported the bill. "We've always known
that we were fighting against a political machine with a serious bias in favor of the biotech sector."