Privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien. Therrien urged insurance companies to stop testing to determine whether people are genetically susceptible to some diseases. Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA — Canada’s privacy watchdog is urging insurance companies and others to stop testing to determine whether people are genetically susceptible to some diseases.
Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien says it is becoming more of a challenge to protect people’s genetic privacy with recent advances in science and technology.
There are now hundreds of genetic tests available to help spot genes known to increase a person’s risk of developing certain medical conditions.
But some people may decline tests for fear a positive result may mean they could face discrimination from insurance companies or their employers.
There are currently no laws in Canada that specifically prohibit genetic discrimination, although there appears to be broad political consensus around the issue.
Past Conservative and Liberal election platforms pledged to stop discriminatory life insurance practices, while the New Democrats once introduced a private member’s bill in the House of Commons to ban “genetic characteristics” as grounds for discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act.
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