Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thanks to all of you.
I'm Dr. Cindy Forbes. I'm a family physician from Nova Scotia and the past president of the Canadian Medical Association. As you may be aware, the Canadian Medical Association represents 83,000 Canadian physicians. I'm joined today by Cécile Bensimon, who is the director of ethics.
The CMA very much welcomes this opportunity to appear before the committee as part of your study on Bill S-201, the genetic non-discrimination act. As part of my opening statement, I will focus on the national importance of federal legislation preventing genetic discrimination.
At the outset, however, let me state that the CMA strongly supports the enactment of Bill S-201 in its entirety, that is, maintaining the three core elements of this bill. At the core of the CMA's support is the fact that this legislation addresses discriminatory barriers related to genetic testing, an emerging issue that is about patient care.
Genetic discrimination, and the fear of this discrimination, may potentially negatively impact the patient-physician relationship. This is a concern that I encourage you to consider carefully, and I welcome your questions on that.
Genomic medicine holds great promise in the diagnosis and therapeutic treatment of many known and new diseases and, ultimately, in enhancing the quality of life of many patients. We are witnessing the transformative development of genomic medicine, with a rapid expansion in genetic testing. This transformation and the availability of new genetic tests are allowing for the discovery of new genetic conditions, as well as early diagnoses that will benefit patient care.
Before us is the prospect of transforming clinical medicine and patient care at a pace that will only accelerate in the foreseeable future. Today, genetic testing is aiding in the early diagnosis of numerous conditions, including many forms of cancer, heart disease, and dementia, to name only a few. As well, our ability to genetically test for new conditions is continually increasing.
Of great concern to Canada's doctors and their patients is the fact that public policies and legislation have not kept pace with this transformation. Genetic discrimination is both a significant and an internationally recognized phenomenon. As you heard from other witnesses, Canada stands alone amongst the G8 as the only country that has not established legislative protections in the face of this major transformation.
While genomic medicine will continue to have broader clinical applications, the fear of genetic discrimination is both widespread and real. As a primary care provider, I have experienced, in having conversations with my patients, their very real fear of discrimination.
As Canada's doctors, it is the CMA's position that Canadians deserve to have access to the best possible health care without fear of genetic discrimination.
Genetic discrimination presents several negative consequences. The most concerning consequence may be patients who feel they must hide their family history from their health care providers, who may never be referred for a genetic assessment, or who may avoid care or treatment for fear of discrimination. These consequences are simply unacceptable in Canada's universal public health care system.
Six out of every 10 Canadians will be affected during their lifetime by a health problem that is genetic in whole or in part. It's important to recognize that genetic testing will no longer be limited to rare, esoteric genetic diseases occurring in patients seen by a handful of specialists across the country. Rather, it's becoming an integral part of broad medical care and, as such, is expected to become mainstream medicine.
While genomic medicine is still in its infancy, it's already changing the face of modern medicine. Every year, every month, and every week, new genetic conditions are discovered using these tools. Patients who were undiagnosed for years are now finally receiving diagnoses thanks to these genomic advances. Early diagnoses are actively influencing medical management.
The way we deliver genetic care to our patients has radically changed over the last decade, and there's no reason to believe that this growth will plateau anytime soon.
There are obvious economic and productivity impacts if patients are not able to be diagnosed and we are not able to provide appropriate care. Ironically, at a time when genomic technologies have broader clinical applications than ever before, the fear of genetic discrimination is preventing some Canadians from benefiting from these advances. For these reasons, the CMA strongly supports the enactment of Bill S-201 without amendment.
My colleague and I would be pleased to address any questions you may have. Thank you.