Genetic Testing act passed by Parliament

The federal Parliament passed a bill on March 8 that makes it unlawful to make a person undergo genetic testing (or to reveal the results of past testing), as a requirement of getting or keeping an insurance policy or any other contract.According to the Canadian Coalition for Genetic Fairness, the new legislation will help protect the integrity of genetic test information from insurance companies, employers, landlords and school officials who might use the results of a test against an individual.The group says the bill will help “improve the health of Canadians as they make informed choices to diagnose, prevent and treat disease.
David Hosking, executive director of the Victoria Disability Resource Centre, said the proposed legislation is a step in the right direction.
“This will hopefully prevent genetic discrimination in the future,” he said.

With the passage of this bill, relevant sections of the Canadian Labour Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act have been amended to reflect the new legislation.