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| Program > Biomedical Sciences in Social Context |
| Programme > Le contexte social des sciences biomédicales |
| Ted
Everson (University
of Toronto) The Political Economy of Canadian Genomics |
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I will outline a history of Canada’s commitment to genomics, and an analysis of public health policy issues resulting from this commitment. My paper will describe the creation of CGAT and Genome Canada, the two public institutions that have funded genomics research in Canada. I will focus on a variety of groups who influenced these developments, including the genomics community in Canada, the media, policymakers and the private sector. Analysis of the activities of these groups illustrates that Canadian genomics owes its success to its presumed economic, rather than public health, benefits. Economic potential and economic necessity were the primary lobby tools used to create momentum for a Canadian genomics infrastructure. The potential for future medical benefits, in addition to other public benefits, were also briefly identified in lobby efforts, but in a much more limited fashion. The creation of an industry – for the production of technological tools, and as a means for increasing production output in other industries such as agriculture, fisheries, pharmaceuticals and diagnostics – was the main lobby emphasis, and consequently the main motivator of Canadian genomics support. Debates regarding the potential benefits of genomics to public health, therefore, appear not to have been of primary consideration during the establishment of genomics programs in Canada.
Institute
for the History and Philosophy of
Science and Technology
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