Geoff Leo , CBC; 'No consequences' for violating human rights in privately funded research in Canada, says ethics expert
"Knowing that PASS had been approved by two Canadian universities, Parente thought, "I could write a book just on this." Instead, she is adding a chapter on it in her forthcoming book, tentatively titled Ethics on Trial: Protecting Humans in Canada's Broken Research System.
But through her interactions with CBC, Parente made another discovery: the federal government body that oversees research ethics, the Secretariat on the Responsible Conduct of Research, does not have jurisdiction over privately funded clinical trials — which make up about 85 per cent of all such research in this country.
"I was shocked at this revelation," she said. "Everyone I have spoken to were just as shocked."
Martin Letendre, a Quebec-based lawyer and research ethicist, said this fact demonstrates that Canada's research ethics system is the "wild West."
"Clearly, it makes absolutely no sense," said Letendre, who is president of Veritas IRB, a private research ethics board founded by Parente. "It's going to come as a total shock to anyone in academia who is studying or experts on the governance of research in the country.""
