Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate your kind words for my witnesses.
Mr. Meulien and Mr. Edwards, I understood your presentations perfectly. Thank you for coming here to explain genomics to us, as well as its importance and its impact on the health of Canadians.
I fully understood what Mr. Edwards was saying about Canadian practices and the importance of being a leader rather than a follower. That being said, a serious concern remains when it comes to genomics, and that is the confidentiality and security of genetic information. There are also concerns about the potential for discrimination based on genetic information by employers and health insurance companies.
In 2008, the United States adopted the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act to protect individuals against discrimination related to their genetic information by health insurers and employers.
Could you comment on the challenges related to the patenting of genetic discoveries? And do you think that Canada should pass legislation similar to the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act in the U.S., to protect Canadians against genetic discrimination?