Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate this opportunity to talk to the committee about Assisted Human Reproduction Canada's role and responsibilities.
Assisted Human Reproduction Canada is the newest member of the health portfolio. It is a regulatory agency that reports to Parliament through the Minister of Health. The agency administers the Assisted Human Reproduction Act and has a mandate to protect and promote the health, safety, dignity, and the rights of Canadians who use or are born of assisted human reproduction technologies. It also fosters the application of ethical principles in the use and development of these technologies.
Let me take a moment to distinguish between the role of the agency and that of Health Canada. Health Canada is responsible for developing policy related to assisted human reproduction and regulations under the Assisted Human Reproduction Act. The agency's role is to oversee the implementation of the act and the associated regulations. Most of the prohibitions under the act came into force in April 2004, and the consent-to-use provision with its applicable regulations came into force in December 2007.
As part of AHRC's mandate to promote and ensure compliance with the act, the agency has been encouraging and facilitating this role, based on a cooperative approach involving clinics, physicians, and other organizations. Once the other provisions of the act and regulations being developed by Health Canada come into force, the agency will be responsible for licensing, inspecting, and promoting compliance relating to activities controlled under the legislation.
I want to point out that the agency is fully engaged on other fronts. In addition to its compliance and regulatory hat, it wears other hats under the AHR act. In the two years since the agency became operational, much has been accomplished towards laying the groundwork and building the capacity that is vital for the successful implementation of the regulations. This means that as soon as the regulations are ready the agency will have in place all the mechanisms it will need in order to assume its full regulatory role. This entails doing the preparatory work to help our stakeholders understand the regulations and their effects.
Equally important is the work that we are doing to develop a national personal health information registry, as mandated by the act. This secure registry will contain prescribed health information on donors, persons who undergo AHR, and persons who are conceived by means of these procedures. The personal health information registry is necessary in order for AHRC to fulfill its mandate relating to the identification of health and safety risks and its obligation to provide information to Canadians.
We are also working on the development of a research agenda that will help inform policy. We are monitoring and evaluating developments in Canada and throughout the world, and we are consulting with interested individuals and organizations. Finally, we are providing information to the public and the professions on AHR, including risk factors associated with infertility. This is done through our website, in publications, and via a toll-free information line.
The agency is guided in its work by a board of directors. It is responsible for the overall management of the agency, including the provision of advice to the minister, approval of the agency's goals, operational policies and budget, and evaluation of the agency's performance.
Shortly after I took office in February 2007, we decided to make it a priority to meet with various people and organizations across the country who represented the interests of those who have a responsibility to comply with the provisions of the AHR act and its regulations, or who might be affected by the provisions of the act. Taking the time to hear what they had to say was invaluable to us. Health professionals, patient groups, and other partners contributed valuable information.
It has been 30 years since the birth of the world's first test-tube baby, and in those 30 years we have witnessed a scientific revolution in assisted human reproduction, which has challenged us on many levels. It has sparked fierce debates about the application of IVF and has led to innovative practices and procedures allowing Canadians to benefit from these technologies and related research.
I believe the agency has an important role to play in helping Canadians make informed choices, because the bottom line is that AHR is a public health challenge. It directly affects about one in eight Canadian couples struggling with infertility, as well as individuals who are dependent on non-conventional methods to build their families.
We have so much more to do. The agency remains committed to working closely with Canadians to build the strong and open relationship that allows us to work with them to protect the health, safety, rights, and dignity of those who turn to AHR to create the families they desire.
That concludes my presentation, Madam Chair. Once again, thank you very much for having given me the opportunity to talk to you about Assisted Human Reproduction Canada.