Evidence of meeting #4 for Health in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was research.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Elinor Wilson  President and Chief Executive Officer, Assisted Human Reproduction Canada
Brien Benoit  Chairperson, Patented Medicine Prices Review Board
James Roberge  Chief Financial Officer, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Sharon Watts  President and Chief Executive Officer, Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission
Pierre Chartrand  Vice-President, Research, Canadian Institutes of Health Research

5:10 p.m.

President and Chief Executive Officer, Assisted Human Reproduction Canada

Dr. Elinor Wilson

Thank you very much for the question.

In this area, I think the science will always be ahead of us. It's very rapidly evolving, both science and technology, not to mention the attendant issues that go along with that evolving science in this very complex field.

The act is an excellent act in terms of its comprehensiveness. We have one of the most comprehensive acts in the world. I would certainly hope, as Health Canada is working on the regulations for that act, that they keep up, obviously, with the changing technology. Certainly mechanisms will be put in place, once the regulations are in place, to continually review those regulations.

As one method of looking at this, we have established a science advisory panel of multidisciplinary experts in the field who have two purposes: one, to advise the board, who will be issuing the licences, on issues of technology change; and two, to look long term. We know that the research that's in the lab today will be in the regulations three and four years out.

So that's how we're hoping to deal with that issue.

5:10 p.m.

NDP

Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North, MB

Could I just ask one--

5:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joy Smith

No. Our time is up. Thank you so much.

I want to thank the panel for coming here today.

What we're going to do now is suspend the committee for just one minute, with our heartfelt thanks to our presenters, and then go in camera for our business.

Thank you.

[Proceedings continue in camera]