Your hosts this week Lynn Desjardins and Marc Montgomery, with Carmel Kilkenny providing one of her stories this week
HERE
The scope of international trade deals has come up once again on the occasion of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s official visit to China.this weekend.
Canada and China have signed a sweeping trade deal called the “Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement” (FIPA).
Many have criticized the deal saying it gives too much control over Canadian practices to foreign companies,which in turn are controlled by a foreign government.
Carmel spoke to Gus Van Harten about his longstanding concerns over the deal, He is a professor of International Law ot York University in Toronto
A Canadian hospital has launched legal action to challenge Canada’s patent law.
The suit specifically challenges the idea the human DNA can be patented. The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) has a world-class diagnostic centre at which they are among the leaders in genetic disease detection and testing.
They wanted to perform testing for a specific heart problem genetic mutation but could not, as US patent holders threatened legal action, saying the tests must be performed in the US, something that would cost twice as much, and take longer.
The hospital says human genes are not an “invention” that can be patented, any more than one can patent air or water.
Marc spoke to Dr Gail Graham, Chief of the Department of Genetics at the hospital.
In this excerpt she explains the goals of the patent challenge. The full interview is on our highlights page
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