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The Federal Biotechnology Regulatory System: A Commentary on an Institutional Work in Progress

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Biotechnology and the Consumer

Abstract

The authors describe and assess key institutional aspects of the Canadian federal biotechnology regulatory framework. Noting that Canada’s system for regulating biotechnology relies on five federal departments playing a substantive role, the authors explore how Canada’s system addresses central features of normally functioning regulatory systems and how it interacts with the macro regulatory environment. From these discussions it is shown that each of the departments involved in regulating biotechnology applications in Canada have very different approaches which are, in many respects, sensible and supportable. However, the paper concludes, further work needs to be done in order to secure the confidence of a wide-range of interests, noting especially, that the current system has not established an arena in which ethical issues can be addressed.

G. Bruce Doern is a Professor, School of Public Administration and Carleton Research Unit on Innovation, Science and Environment, Carleton University, E-mail: bdoern@ccs.carleton.ca. Heather Sheehy is a policy analyst at Health Canada, P.L. 3007A, Holland Cross, Tower A, Suite 709, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0K9. E-mail: heather_sheehy@hc-sc.gc.ca. At the time of writing she was with the Office of Consumer Affairs, Industry Canada.

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Authors
  1. G. Bruce Doern
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  2. Heather Sheehy
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Bartha M. Knoppers Alan D. Mathios

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© 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Doern, G.B., Sheehy, H. (1998). The Federal Biotechnology Regulatory System: A Commentary on an Institutional Work in Progress. In: Knoppers, B.M., Mathios, A.D. (eds) Biotechnology and the Consumer. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5311-3_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5311-3_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-5541-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-5311-3

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