Overall, and through the period in which we have been asked to comment on our act, we have remained steadfast that we do not recommend that definitions be included in the Canadian Human Rights Act. One reason for this is that Canadian human rights legislation, like all human rights legislation, needs to be interpreted broadly in order to give effect to the underlying purpose of the act, and that definitions are often limited by the time in which they are prepared. Especially on a topic such as genetic characteristics, which is very rapidly evolving, that rationale becomes more important. We would not want to freeze a definition in time when the science and technology are developing.
Doing as suggested also allows judges to bring the judicial interpretive principle into play when individual cases arise. We very rarely—in fact, I can't recall a time—recommend that a definition be added, but that does not mean that we cannot offer guidance and clarity on the concepts that are covered under our act. In fact, in the legislation you have before you there has been a section that deems discrimination based on a genetic test to be discrimination based on genetic characteristics. Those kinds of clarifications can assist in interpreting our acts.
I hope that's helpful.